Legacy of Dustil
by LocketStar14126
Summary: Following my custom bounty hunter - Kelria, and this would only work if Revan was female and light side - called Illaya. Legacy of Dustil is an alternate Legacy line to Legacy of Carth. Mainly to test out what I wanted to do with Kelria's characte
1. After The Endar Spire

**After the Endar Spire**

Bless him, the night I met him was probably one of the best nights of my life. Probably because I got some awesome action. To be honest, it was a shame to start with to learn that he 'didn't want to hurt people', but then again, I wasn't one who liked the idealisms of the Sith. They were a bunch of high up sleaze-bags anyway. But that man… wow, he was something else.

Okay, maybe his voice wasn't the most menacing of all, but his eyes. Oh his eyes, glistening in those white seas that curled around his pupils. How his pupils were such a soothing and relaxing brown. I couldn't have wished for anything better. At this point, I didn't even know who he was. Other than a really gorgeous looking guy. His dark hair covered his face at the sides, and his Jedi robes held his chest in, showing his strong yet slender figure. His dark cloak covered most of him, and made his robes barely visible… but I knew they were there. I could recognise them from a mile off.

"So you're new around here?" one of the drunken Sith men asked.

I sighed, "No, I'm just as old ask when you asked me yesterday."

Like I was going to answer his question. My attempt to evade seemed to have just dug me deeper in the conversation.

"Oh, so you're one of those kinds…" he drooled

He got his free hand and pushed it hard against my arse. His fingernails dug into my soft skin, and his palm pushed angrily into me. "Maybe I can take you home with me, show you _my_ world," he snickered.

I have to admit that I tended to go for the bad-boys, but he was just rank. He'd never done anything quite so impulsive before, and I was usually able to get him off of me. It didn't really help that there weren't any other decent cantinas around either, so I couldn't really go anywhere else. Plus, I needed to be there. All I could do was sit and drown in my own self-pity and alcohol. I guess that wasn't so bad, at least I wasn't skint… yet.

I pushed at his fingers, trying to wrench his arm and force him to let go, but his hold grew stronger. I could feel his fingers trying to fumble around on me, but he was too drunk and uncoordinated. I would have shot him there and then, or broken his neck, but the problem with the Sith – even when they were drunk, was that they were still very dangerous. He could probably blow me backwards a couple of metres, or hurt me before I even got a chance to get him off of me. And the very worst of all, was that I had not brought my gun.

To be honest, it was truly a stupid mistake. I had taken at least one of my guns pretty much anywhere I went, but not that night at the cantina. I still don't know why I didn't take it with me now, because I was very aware that the Sith would have been there. It couldn't have been carelessness… I was _never_ careless. It had to have been something else. Maybe some sort of seriously misguided trust.

"Get off!" I spat.

He jumped backwards as my spit moved towards him, and watched it as it landed on the floor.

"That's not very nice. Maybe you need to learn some manners," he threatened.

I turned to my drink again, and kept my eyes on it. The fear welled up inside of me, but I couldn't let him see it. If he had, then he would have known he had the advantage over me.

Running my fingers over the edge of my glass, he strode over, his boots thumping as they hit the ground. God, I could tell he was angry. The fury radiated off of him, and I tried to maintain my control on my emotions. My fingers began to shake a little, and I kept my eyes down to the bar table. The Jedi looked over to me, but I only briefly returned his glance. Any longer and then I probably would have broken down and panicked. The bartender watched me carefully, worry clearly visible. Even though the Empire had long been destroyed, some of the Sith still roamed around. And as the bartender well knew, he could not chuck out a Sith, the men would have to be removed or leave on their own accord.

The other Sith men looked over at me, peering to see what would happen. I pushed out my back to stretch, and kept my eyes down. Suddenly, two arms wrapped around my lower chest and pressed tightly. The wind pushed out of my chest and I gasped desperately for air. The Sith but his head over my shoulder, and looked down my top. Teaches me right anyway for wearing one that was such a low-cut one.

"Mmm, can't wait to get my hands on those," he breathed, his eyes frantically searching me over. I knew there and then that I needed to get out of there. I couldn't stay and wait. Not for any Jedi.

Abruptly, I jerked myself back, and the Sith was momentarily stunned. I quickly got up, and walked towards the door with my drink in hand. There was no way I was going to leave with alcohol still left. It wasn't exactly like the bartender was going to stop me. I was too lazy to run, and even if the Sith was going to follow me, it would make no difference if I ran or stumbled out of there. He would have caught up with me.

My light metal armour clinked together as I stepped forward, and the jetpack I had pulled powerfully on my back. It often felt heavier when I was slightly drunk. Clinging to my shoulders, it hit the back of my armour and pushed into my shoulders. And to think that I went around wearing that thing every day. My boots shone in the dim light, reflecting the surprised faces of the people watching me.

All of a sudden, I heard the sound of a lightsabre. Spinning around, my eyes were met with the drunken Sith once more, his red lightsabre held low at his side and pointed towards the floor. Everyone got up out of their seats abruptly and moved to the edges of the room. Oh dear, he had made a stupid mistake.

"Dirty scoundrel!" he yelled.

"Take this outside?" I asked innocently.

"No! Here!" he insisted.

Swaying from side to side, he began to charge at me. I sighed, and placed my feet firmly on the ground. As he got close, I flung my drink at his face. It hit him square in the forehead, and ran down into his eyes. Quickly, I put my right arm forward and made a fist with it. On cue, the torrent of flames swam towards him, flooding my view. I only clenched the trigger for a second or two in order to prevent the flames spreading around the room, then let go.

The flames receded, and I shoved my arm to my side. It gently hit the armour on my side, and I relaxed my shoulders. As the Sith sunk to his feet and patted at his face and chest with his cloak, I stepped slowly and with authority towards him. His screams were somewhat muted by his cloak as he desperately patted his face. I hadn't really burnt him badly; it would be all fixed with a meeting with a doctor. That would have been all that it would have taken.

I bent down in front of him, and looked directly at him. All of my previous fear had gone, and my vicious and unemotional front was back in action. It took more than alcohol to taint it. The Jedi stepped forward, his surprised expression barely visible under the hood. I looked up at him, and smiled.

"Want any help taking him outside?" I asked politely.

He bent down by his side, and slipped one arm under the Sith's. I slid mine under the other, and we slowly dragged him out of the cantina.

The Sith's previously eager friends had vacated the place already without me noticing. It was kind of a shame, I had really wanted to beat them up or collected their lightsabres. Sneakily, I picked up the Sith's lightsabre, and hid it under my armour. Along with the five others already in there. Not a bad collection, either. I had a two red lightsabres, a green one, a blue one and a yellow one. All I really needed was an orange one, and maybe even a purple one. Ooh, a purple one would just be lush!

The bartender looked angrily over at us, and I put my hand up to him.

"I promise I won't come back. Have a good night," I smiled.

He nodded, and turned back to his work. Slowly, people began to get seated once more, their unimpressed eyes on me. I had disturbed them, after all. At least I had got rid of that idiotic Sith. I bet he wouldn't have gone back there.

The Jedi whispered quietly to himself. Unable to make out what he was saying, I maintained my concentration on his robes. They weren't apprentice robes. Nor were they padawan robes. They were defiantly Jedi Knight robes. That surprised me, as someone of such high level would surely have stepped in to help me. I couldn't understand why he hadn't in the first place, and saved me from such an undignified exit. Even though I looked pretty awesome overall, and I showed superior skill... with a glass of alcohol and fire. Maybe not quite as impressive as I may have hoped for, but at least the people at the bar would remember me from then on.

My eyes watched the ground as we stepped over it, the dust brushing up off of the ground. Where better to be stranded than Tatooine? Barely any kind of vegetation, barely any decent people and blatantly the worst place to be without a ship. So what I'm trying to say, is that I _had_ a ship, but got betrayed. Well, they said they'd pick me up after I'd got the bounty. I was eager to get it, too. That was why I had waited so long.

Suddenly, the Jedi dropped the Sith where he stood, and jumped away from me. At first I thought I had done something to make him jump, but then I heard the sounds of igniting lightsabres. I pivoted on the spot, and gasped. The Sith from before, all five of them, stood before me. Anger burned in their eyes, and I stepped back a bit. I reached for my gun, and was met with the absence of it. If only I had brought it with me.

"Hey!" the Jedi called.

Something whistled through the air towards me, and I looked briefly behind me. A gun flew at me, and slipped into my hand. Adrenaline pumping through me, I was ready. The first Sith lunged towards me, just as sluggish as the one before. It was definitely going to be any easy fight.

I jerked out of the way, and pushed down his outstretched arm forcefully by elbowing it, the armour easily cutting at his robes. In my other hand, I forced the blaster into his chest, and smiled. Hoping he would retreat, I stopped. Unfortunately, he had no such intention, and got ready to lift his sabre again. I smashed my left hand into his chest, probably breaking a few bones, and pulled the trigger on my wrist.

The grapple shot straight through his back, killing him instantly. He had been warned. I watched as the life in his eyes, regardless of how evil he was, leaving his body. His tense arm holding the sabre dropped, and the hilt fell to the ground. Hopefully the Jedi wouldn't confiscate an item of such value to me, and one that I had most obviously earned.

As the grapple continued to travel, it caught one of the Sith in the leg. He yelped in pain as it went through, and I pulled on it immediately, knocking him down. The Jedi flew past me, and joined in with the fight. His blue sabre flashed by me, and he began duelling with two of the Sith. I recalled my grapple by letting go of the wrist trigger, and the first Sith I had killed sunk to the floor, followed by the second who was dragged through the dirt by the grapple tip in his leg. It detached itself from him, and before he could flip up and fight again, I was stood over his body with the gun in hand.

He put his hands up, and dropped his lightsabre to his side.

"I... I surrender!" he cried.

I recognised the trickery. I had done similar things before, and they always led to the same thing. I would then go away, leaving him on the floor, then he would get up, grab his sabre, and pull me close to him, the sabre up to my neck. Then he'd threaten the Jedi with my life, and eventually get off free, after throwing me to the floor. I wasn't stupid.

I pulled him up by the front of his robes, his calm yet angry eyes burning into me. I swung the gun to his face, and it hit him on the side of the head. Limply, his head fell, and I let go off him. He sunk to the floor, unconscious. I wasn't heartless enough to kill him there and then. He had no money in him. His pale skin reflected the little light that was left, the suns finishing the glow it had given all day. You can tell a Sith from any other normal person. Sith don't get tans, they just sit inside their little caves on Korriban.

The Jedi had killed one of the Sith he had engaged combat with, and he had nearly finished off the second. It was my only chance to get the last Sith then. His murderous eyes pierced me, and I smiled. So glad that looks don't kill. I lifted up my gun, and the Sith lifted up his lightsabre. Unable to get enough of energy to bother fighting with him properly, I put my free hand behind my back, and pulled out a thermal detonator.

The Sith watched me with distinct curiosity, and maintained his ground. Pushing down the button, I counted the seconds until it would go off. He was unaware of what damage would soon come to him, and what a shame it was. No chance that he could know. As the detonator was about to go off, I threw it at the feet of the Sith. He watched in horror as it rolled towards him, and got ready to force it away. He was not aware of my brilliant timing, and before he got the chance, it went off.

The dust around him lifted high in the air, and for a brief amount of time, he was no longer visible. Even though he was a Sith, he was not sober enough to protect himself. As the dust dropped, the fallen figure of the Sith became visible. I walked over slowly, going to check if he was dead. Tiredly, I bent down, the gun in hand. I pushed aside the dark robes, and looked at his face. His eyes were wide open, and lifeless.

I heard a lightsabre be turned off, but kept my attention on the Sith. I hadn't seen his face before, but I realised that the man I had just killed was no man, but a mere boy. He was probably only just 16, if that. Sorrowfully, I put my free hand forward, and pulled his eyelids down over his cold and unmoving icy blue eyes. How much life he had missed out on.

I think that night was probably the first time I truly felt bad for killing someone. I knew the Sith were bad people, but most of the people involved were brainwashed or victims. Most of the people I had killed for bounties had been either traitors or villains. For the first time, I could not see the villain in that boy. No matter if he had killed one person, or one thousand, he was no evil soul.

Slowly, I got up, my eyes caught on the Sith boy I had so recently killed. I felt the breath of the person behind me, and spun around slowly. The Jedi smiled sorrowfully at me, empathy in his eyes. I put the gun out in one hand, and he slowly took it away from me. His warm fingers brushed my hand as he did, and I stepped back. He began turning around, when I suddenly saw a red flicker behind him.

I ran forward quickly, and pushed him to one side. For a Jedi Knight, he hadn't really seen that coming. I lifted my right arm as quick as I could to burn the Sith that had been burnt not so long before and was now ready to fight again, but was too slow. His sabre skimmed my left arm, burning through the fabric and my arm. I cringed in pain, but I had already pressed the trigger. The fire burned up his robes, and recoiled once more in pain.

The flames flicked up his robes, and I didn't let go of the trigger, the pain making my hand seize up. I lowered it as he went to the ground, and my fingers then let go of the trigger. Similarly to how he had fallen, I dropped to my knees, and felt the blood run down my left arm. The warm of it barely noticeable. I stayed completely still as the blood ran down my arm and to the floor, unable to move. My sad eyes looked upon the Sith, watching him as he burnt. And it made me wonder if all that 'flirting' of his had been worth it for him. I thought not, but someone with a mind like his would probably have greatly enjoyed it.

The Jedi dropped down to my side and pressed his hand on my wound. The pain was unbearable, and I began yelping in pain, unable to control myself. It hurt more when he was pressing on it. Incapable of bringing myself around to looking at it, I kept my eyes on the Sith as the Jedi walked me away, and through Tatooine.


	2. Meeting Jedi

**Meeting Jedi**

I can't really remember much of the trip, but the next part that I remember was when I woke up onboard a ship. I sat up immediately; shocked to find myself in a new and indistinguishable place I had woken up in. I was greeted with the face of the Jedi who had saved me, worry visible in his expression. He smiled weakly, and I maintained my puzzled look.

Remembering the previous events, I stared down at my left arm. I was glad to see that it had all been healed up, and the fabric under my armour was new. I stared up at him again, and got ready to get up. He got up quickly, putting his hand out to stop me. I tried to get up, but my arm still hurt. Sighing, he sat back down and looked at me.

"So where am I?" I questioned.

"Onboard my ship, the White Siren," he smiled.

"Pfft, Jedi don't have their _own_ ships," I laughed.

He looked down, something painful obviously coming to mind. I wasn't too eager to know what it was, so I leant back again and tried to relax. With Jedi being the way they were, he would get me off of his ship the first chance that he got.

"You came to collect my bounty, didn't you?" he asked.

I looked up at him, and sighed. Yes, he was the person I was supposed to kill. There weren't many Jedi on Tatooine, and I had been given a description on him and nothing more. No name, just that his bounty was about five hundred thousand credits. I would be living like a queen for the rest of my life.

"I wasn't sure it was you at first," I sighed.

"Five million's a lot, hey?" he laughed.

I looked down guiltily, and he stopped laughing. Five MILLION! No, five hundred thousand was all I had heard about.

"Well, you saved my life, so I owe you," he insisted.

I looked back at him in shock. He owed me? He'd figured out that I had originally come to collect his bounty, yet he was saying that he owed _me_? Well, I guess I had saved him.

I thought over in my head the reason _why_ I had done it in the first place, but I struggled to come to any kind of conclusion. It wasn't guilt, I was sure of that. It wasn't anything like some weird misplaced trust either. It was like a kind of... friendship? That was the closest I came to any sort of reasonable answer, and that was far off anyway. I had no idea what had made me do it, but it wasn't like me to do something like that.

"You don't have any transport, I assume?" he asked.

"How did you know?" I enquired.

"I went to collect your stuff. Brought it here for you," he smiled.

"And why would you do that?" I asked, confused with what his motive could be.

"Well your room wasn't paid for anymore, and I have a proposal for you," he replied.

His words caught my attention, and I waited eagerly for him to continue. If he had something amazing to offer me, in comparison to five million credits.

"Well I happen to know that you like exploring... a lot," he started.

What was he thinking? Exploring? Hell, I liked going places since the only places I had been were Tatooine and Korriban, but exploring? Seriously?

"I can... offer you a full road trip of the known galaxy... all of it... for free," he offered.

I gasped. The _whole_ of it? That would have cost me probably about the same amount of money as the first bounty offer. And not only that, but I had always wanted to see the galaxy. I was kind of hoping in the first place that I would be able to see everywhere with my bounty hunter profession, but they never let me go anywhere else. Just the same dust and desolate landscape. I had never seen real grass before, and maybe it was my chance.

I know it sounded lame that I did like seeing new things, but the prospect was just immense. Imagine that you had never seen grass before. Or seen a sky that looked truly amazing, not plain. To be able to go anywhere I wanted. What this Jedi was offering me, was freedom. And I could not refuse such an offer.

"So you know who I am, but I don't know who you are," I added.

He seemed taken aback by what I had said, and frowned.

"How could you _not_ know who I am?" he asked.

"Anonymous bounty. As long as I know what you look like, I don't need anything more," I explained.

He nodded with understanding. I was very eager to know who he was, with a bounty that big on his head. He was either someone important, or related to someone of great interest. Hesitating, he looked deep into my eyes.

"Can you make me a promise?" he asked.

Oh, I wasn't going to fall into one of those traps. It would be something that I would never contemplating doing, and an unfair request.

"Depends. I'm a ruthless bounty hunter, what kind of promise are you hoping for me to keep?" I pointed out.

He smirked, and then his calm expression returned.

"I saw what you did to that Sith. Ruthless is _not_ what you are. You show compassion and determination," he concluded.

"I'm not a stuffed bantha, I can cause damage," I laughed.

He laughed quietly with me, and I could tell that maybe the whole travelling thing would work out. Maybe we'd be able to deal with each other just long enough for me to do what I wanted to do. I really hoped so.

"So this promise?" I asked.

"Promise that if you know who I am, that you won't take my bounty... or my father's," he finished.

I had been right about my assumption that he was related to someone important. It was always one or the other for the reason of a bounty. I didn't do small ones, I did major bounties. Money was important.

However, I was really taken by the opportunity to explore the galaxy, and it was more than he was worth. And lastly, he was not a bad man. His father sounded like he could be, but he was not. I didn't kill innocents. It wasn't my style. I could probably keep his promise for him, but maybe his father would be a different kettle of fish.

"Okay, I promise," I sighed, giving up. I couldn't miss out because of my morals.

"You sure?" he pressed.

"...Yes," I confirmed.

"My name is Dustil Onasi. My father... is Admiral Carth Onasi," he explained.

He gave me a minute to let it sink in, and I stopped dead in my tracks. There were upsides and downsides to what he had told me.

The bad things were that Carth Onasi could probably have me executed in less than a second, so I really could not go back on his promise. I wasn't going to risk anything like the end of my life by the hand of an Admiral.

It also meant that if I did anything stupid or something happened to Dustil, I would probably have been killed.

The good outweighed the bad by quite a bit, such as the reason that Dustil was so attractive was because he was related to Carth.

Furthermore, it meant that I was probably in contrast, very safe with Dustil. Not only was he an accomplished Jedi Knight, but he could probably take me anywhere and he would go unnoticed. We wouldn't be disturbed.

I held out my hand that didn't hurt, and waited.

"Nice to meet you, Dustil," I smiled.

He put his hand in mine, and we shook hands.


	3. Running Out Of Ideas

**Running Out of Ideas**

It had been a year since we had met, and a lot had happened. Yes, everything did work out. I got the chance to see the galaxy. Everything that I wanted to see, anywhere I wanted to go. We went to Dantooine, we went to Mustafar. We went pretty much everywhere. There were no limits really to where we could go. I had freedom, and I loved it. I had never felt so good in all of my life, and I was so grateful that I had done it. And to think that I nearly took the bounty on him. What a mistake that would have been!

Dustil made me jump. I hopped out of the seat that I was in, and breathed heavily. I hated it when he sneaked up on me like that. He leant over and put his hands in the air.

"I didn't mean it. You just don't notice," he insisted.

I laughed quietly, and patted down my armour. Nope, I had not ditched the armour, it looked awesome. I wasn't going to wear any kind of clothing.

"Your armour looks fine, Kelria," he comforted.

He knew me and my habits too well. I scowled at him, and he laughed.

"It's like you and your hair. It has to look good at _all_ times," I said, offering decent comparison.

It was true, Dustil loved his hair. He was always trying to make it look interesting and different. Regardless, it often looked the same, but he would never accept that it looked good the way that it was.

"So, where to next?" he asked, dropping into the pilot's seat.

I stopped, and swallowed.

"We've been everywhere. I've got to go now," I replied.

He froze. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes displaying unhappiness.

Over time, I had to admit one thing. I had fallen in love with Dustil. I had loved him for a long time, and he was completely unaware of it. I couldn't always hide it either, but I didn't need to. He never saw it, so I had no worries. After all, he was a Jedi, and he had absolutely no idea what love was. Remember, I was a bounty hunter. I knew Sith and Jedi inside out. And both were pretty much incapable of love, or even distinguishing what it was.

That was pretty much the main reason that I had to leave. It was becoming too painful to be around him without him knowing. It was like I was keeping an unbearable secret from him, and he often pestered me about what I was thinking. Not only that, but when he was with me, he was neglecting his duties as a Jedi. Jedi Knights could not love, it was not right. Or at least, that's what they were told. But I couldn't have him lose his status due to me. I loved him enough to make sure he could live the life that he was supposed to live, and have the best one possible.

He turned back to the expanse of space laid out before him, and kept very rigid. Unable to bear the tension, I left the room, returning to my room. My room was pretty simple, and I hadn't decorated it. Dustil had often said that I should, but I insisted I wouldn't be there for long. He eventually agreed with my reasoning, and laid off of me about the whole thing. My time of leaving had been long expected, but I could not face it. I didn't want to go, but I had to.

Slowly, I began to collect my things together, picking up the important things that I needed. Dustil had offered me enough money to live my life well without having to work ever again, and I was forever grateful for it. Maybe I'd still be able to do things, but on my own. Spend as long as I wanted, wherever I wanted to be.

Suddenly, I came across the gun I had been handed on the first day we met. I soon learnt that the gun had been his father's, Carth's, and that he had borrowed it as a kind of reminder. I had no idea why it was in my room, so I assumed he must have left it there by accident. Dustil was a pretty forgetful person when it came down to it.


	4. Dustil's Determination

**Dustil's Determination**

Dustil sighed as Kelria left, and swallowed. Suddenly, his comlink flashed up, and he accepted it. He'd waited a long time for his 'chat'.

A hologram of his father appeared in front of him, and he smiled. Carth returned it, and relaxed his posture. He wasn't in the company of important superiors, so he could be casual.

"Hey Dustil, it's been too long," Carth smiled, his voice wavering with emotion.

"I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you much before now. I've been busy sorting myself out," Dustil explained.

Carth nodded, his smile wide with pride.

"So you said you wanted to speak to me about something… not family related?" Carth asked.

Dustil nodded, and took a deep breath.

"How did you tell Revan you loved her?" Dustil asked.

"Her name's Illaya," Carth insisted.

Dustil recoiled, remembering how touchy his father was about Revan's distinct and new identity. She called herself Illaya from then on.

"How did you tell her?" Dustil pressed.

Carth smiled gently, thinking hard.

"Why do you ask, son?" Carth countered.

Dustil swallowed again, trying to get his words out.

"I've been travelling as you know... but not alone. I have... a companion," Dustil started.

Carth chuckled quietly. Dustil frowned, a tint of anger rising. Forcefully, he pushed it away, and maintained his puzzled expression.

"How long?" Carth asked.

"Just under a year," Dustil finished.

Carth recoiled in shock. Yes, a year was quite a while, but Dustil wanted to be sure.

"A year? And you never said anything?" Carth laughed.

Dustil began to get frustrated with his father's attitude towards the situation.

"She's about to leave," Dustil added.

Carth stopped laughing, and his face was serious.

"Then what are you doing talking to me? Go... go tell her. Just say it, see what she does. You've at least got to try," Carth enforced.

Dustil nodded, and turned off the comlink. Quickly, he jumped out of his seat, and ran down the thin corridors of the ship.

Once my bag was packed, I stood upright, and held my shoulders high. Back to being the lone wolf of Korriban. At least I was good enough to live somewhere better. I didn't know really where I wanted to go and live, but I wanted somewhere nice and warm, with grass and vegetation. Maybe somewhere like Dathomir would be a good place. Plenty of criminals there, and some Sith hiding out there. Plenty of good bounties.

I slipped my guns into their holders, and looked at my reflection. Damn, I was looking fine! Not bad considering I had been a bounty hunter for a while. Didn't really have any scars, so I guess I could have passed for anyone. I admired myself in the mirror, smiling at myself. I looked healthy. I looked like I had eaten well. I had lived properly for nearly a year, and it had been great, but now it was my turn to do what I needed to. There were things that I hadn't done yet that needed to be done, and things that I would maybe learn to do at some point in the near future. There was so much out there for me.

"You look great," Dustil smiled.

I spun around, and smiled weakly to him. I had expected him to say goodbye, so he didn't make me jump that time. His brown eyes looked desperately at me, and his hair did its usual thing. I suddenly felt very guilty. As I tried to hide it and go out of the door, Dustil stepped in front of me. I paused and looked up at him, surprised by his action.

He looked down at me, sorrow clear in his eyes.

"Please don't go," he begged.

"I have to, otherwise you won't be able to be a Jedi," I smiled, trying to hide my sorrow from him.

He stepped backwards, his sorrowful expression replaced with a puzzled frown. I didn't often see him confused by something that I had said before, even if he didn't understand what I had said. He often hid anything he felt, but he looked vulnerable, and unable to hide himself that time.

"Is that why you're going?" he asked.

I nodded, and tried to stepped past him, losing eye contact with him. At first, he was going to let me pass. Unexpectedly, he put both of his hands on my shoulders, and leant forward so our noses nearly touched each other.

"I have to go, you have duties," I whispered.

He swallowed, and just looked at me, favouring the moment.

"Kelria... I... I think I love you," he stated.

I froze, and returned his look that he gave me. It hadn't really occurred to me that maybe he loved me too. I just thought he counted me as a friend. But still, he had his duties. A Jedi could not love. Especially not a Jedi Knight. He should have known better than that.

His firm grasp held me in place, and I began to feel uncomfortable in the position I was in. His eyes flickered down to my lips, and he slowly eased himself forward. He stopped after every centimetre he got closer, checking to see what my response was. I couldn't not love him. I couldn't live without him anymore. As he got closer, I pushed myself gently forward, and our lips met.

Considering I had waited so long for us to kiss, it wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped it was, but it was better than nothing. Our lips moved together, flowing in and out of each other. He withdrew quickly, giving himself time to take in what he had done. He knew as I did that his Jedi duties were important, and that I was in the way of them. Or at least, he should have seen that.

"You really want to go, don't you?" he asked, choking on rising tears.

His hands remained on my shoulders, and I leant closer towards him, just underneath his chin. I shook my head, but swallowed, ready to continue.

"I love you. And that's why I have to go," I whispered.

I tried to get past him again, but his grip stopped me from moving even a muscle. His brown eyes looked urgently into mine, trying to convince me otherwise. I knew how he worked, and I had to go.

"I'd give it up," he started, letting go of my shoulders.

I froze on the spot. Shaking my head, I looked into his eyes, favouring the colours that greeted me.

"And that's why I have to go. It's important," I tried to explain.

He shook his head from side to side. I tried to slip past him without him getting in my way, and he let me pass. I strode down the corridors to the cockpit, and sighed.

How could I really leave if I had found something that I so desperately wanted to keep? I loved him so much that he didn't know, but I could not tell him. His mind had already been clouded by his heart, and he needed to see that for starters, I was a bad start off for romance. And secondly, more importantly, he was a Jedi Knight, and he shouldn't give that up for someone like me.

I could hear Dustil's footsteps behind me, and I leant on the doorway of the cockpit. His cloak brushed against me as he passed me, and I assumed he was going to take me to wherever I fancied going. Instead, he swung around in front of me again, and held my upper arms gently.

"I don't want you to go. Even if it's for the best for me. I want you stay," he admitted.

"You know that it won't work. Jedi and bounty hunter. Two very different and _opposing_ characters," I swallowed.

"But I want to at least try. I won't lose you like my father lost Revan. I'd never be able to forgive myself... ever. Even if it was supposedly the wrong thing for me. I know what I need right now and that's you," he explained.

I stepped towards him, and pushed my cheek into his shoulder, holding his hands up at my sides.

"Is this really what you need?" I asked.

I felt him nod gently, and leant away from him so I could see his face again. I couldn't refuse someone like Dustil. Not only was he absolutely gorgeous, but I had grown to love him properly. It wasn't some small crush or anything like that, it was something that really meant a lot to me, and as it seemed, him also.

"You going to keep your promise?" he asked.

I laughed quietly, and touched his nose with mine for a brief moment.

"Only if you don't give me a reason to shoot you," I whispered.

He chuckled with me, holding onto my hands tightly. Nope, I couldn't go anywhere. But then again, there wasn't anywhere that I wanted to be other than with him. I know it sounded selfish and wrong, but it was true. I had spent so long with him, and I loved him so much.

"So you're staying?" he asked, the tension in the small room building up.

"You know I shouldn't..." I started.

"But you will?" he butted in.

I smiled gently, and pushed a bit of his hair out of his face.

"I will," I confirmed.


	5. Moving On

**Moving On**

It's now been exactly two months since I agreed to stay onboard the White Siren. To be honest, I only regretted the first week or so. And that was only because Dustil couldn't do exactly what he needed for his Jedi duties, but after that, I was grateful for the extra time I had with him. If it only lasted a bit longer than the set time, I would have been happy. But I was pretty sure that he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

Dustil didn't really take me many places in those two months, he just did things that were worthwhile and fun. To be honest, I'd never met a Jedi like him. They were never quite as sarcastic… in fact, they just weren't. According to him, his strange and demeaning humour came directly from his father. Since I had never met him up to that point, I had no idea.

Dustil originally hated talking about his father, but after a while, he turned. He loved talking about the things that they did together before his mother died, and how he had done such amazing things. Of course, I had no idea about half the things that Dustil claimed he had done. I was intrigued to meet Carth, but I wasn't really eager to do it straight away. Since the bounty on his head was so high, and I was a bounty hunter, it wasn't exactly a meeting that I was looking forward to. And plus, he was suggested by others to be quite ruthless himself if needed. He would at least be wary of my presence, especially around his son.

Two warm arms wrapped around my waist, and I leant back in my seat in the cockpit.

"Morning gorgeous," he commented.

I looked up at him, his brown eyes matched by a pair of dark rims. His dark brown hair dropped in front of him, touching my forehead. My pale skin matched with his, my hands on his hands. He held onto me tightly, like he wasn't willing to let me escape or go anywhere. Not that I was going to in the first place. I was exactly where I wanted to be.

"Morning handsome, you sleep well?" I smiled.

He bent down next to me, sliding his arms around to one side of the chair, looking up into my eyes.

"Yeah, but there's something that I have to do," he started.

I frowned, confused. He'd never _had_ to do something before. Was it something he was ordered to do, or something he had to do for himself. He seemed pretty serious when he said it, so I suddenly assumed the worst. Either he didn't want me around anymore, or he was going to leave. I swallowed, waiting tensely for the answer.

"What's that, honey?" I asked, my tension building.

"I've got to go and see my father," he sighed.

I relaxed my tense shoulders, and felt like laughing at myself. And there I was, thinking of the worst. How silly of me to think that Dustil would leave me, or go somewhere without me. He'd never manage, he'd need me to save him.

"Oh ok, you had me worried then," I laughed.

"No, that's not the worst of it," he added.

The tension returned, and my worries somehow seemed to come out of nowhere. I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be worried about. "You're coming with me," he finished.

I sighed, and got up out of the seat. He got up at the same time as me, turning me to him and looking directly at me. I dropped my eye contact with him, and looked down at the floor.

"Please tell me what you are so afraid of," he pleaded.

I looked up at him and smiled, "I'm not afraid. It's just, not my thing."

He laughed quietly, and embraced me into his arms.

"Well make it your thing, we're going to see him tomorrow night, for dinner," he whispered into my ear.

I froze completely, the tension in my body obvious. Dustil leant away from me, but kept him arms around my waist. My eyes remained on the floor, unwilling to let him see inside of me, and past my emotional barrier. "Is that okay?" he asked.

I nodded, not saying a word. He stroked my hair gently, twisting it gently in his fingers.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he begged.

I sighed, and looked up into his eyes again. As if he couldn't tell.

"Are you sure that it's the right thing to do? Can't you just go on your own?" I asked.

I couldn't help but think that the words sounded selfish. It wasn't my intention to make them sound that way, but they just seemed to take that kind of stance in the conversation.

The problem that I had was that not only would it be quite a difficult situation as Carth would only be expecting his son to come and visit him, and that I was from such a bad background. What would his father think, if he knew that his son was in love with a bounty hunter, and one of such low standards. He was probably expecting his son to find some kind of princess, or royalty. And what would anyone else think? Admiral Onasi's son in love with a low-life bounty hunter. Not very impressive for anyone's standards, let alone the son of an Admiral, pretty much a form of royalty.

"You have to come. Please?" he asked.

He pulled his persuasive face, and I sighed, laughing quietly. I couldn't say no to Dustil. I just couldn't he always managed to make me feel guilty about things. Always managed to get his own way due to it, too.

"Okay, but you'll have to make me a promise," I smiled.

He rolled his eyes and breathed out.

"What?" he questioned.

"Don't make me do anything I'll regret. And don't make me look like an idiot," I said sternly.

"As if I was going to," he laughed.

Let's face it, I was totally doomed. Dustil would probably try to make sure everything went smoothly, but he'd probably let something slip at some point. He could never keep it all in, he always had to say something.

His face dropped, and he looked harshly at me.

"Now you have to make me a promise," he added.

I knew the face all too well. He'd make me agree to something that I definitely _would_ regret at some point. I looked warily at him, trying to suss out what he was going to say.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You are _not_ wearing your armour," he insisted.

I scowled, and looked down in thought. My armour was part of me, and I always wore it. It was part of who I was, and it didn't make me feel vulnerable. I liked to feel like I was safe, or as safe as I could be. Anything that made me seem weak would greatly reflect on me.

On the other hand, since it sounded like we were going to have some kind of posh dinner, it wouldn't really be practical or good for me to wear armour. I needed to look formal if I was having dinner with an Admiral. Not armour, even if it was lightweight stuff.

I nodded hastily before I had chance to regret my decision.

"Yes!" he yelled, making his hands into fists and pulling them to his sides.

I guess it was score one for Dustil, nil for me. He could not keep my promise, yet I would strive to keep his. Yep, he had got one over on me already. Brilliant start to the day, you have to admit.

I walked away slowly, slipping my hands from his. He watched me dreamily as I left, then sat down in the pilot's seat. I brushed my outstretched down the corridor, my gloves making the metal chime as I went past. The song sounded throughout the whole ship, and I smiled. How beautiful it sounded, the sound of metal. It was even better when mixed in the sound of breaking bones, but I wouldn't have that satisfaction whilst onboard the ship. No bone breaking for fun with Jedi around.

Dustil relaxed into the seat, and sighed. His comlink began blinking, so he opened up the channel. The familiar face of his father greeted him, a signature smile on his face. In the last two months, Dustil got more of a chance to talk to his father. As he wasn't just going places aimlessly and he wasn't busy, he got the chance to do a bit of catching up. And got to say the things that he never got to say before.

Dustil had eventually understood that his father could not have saved his mother, and that he had to leave. It still hurt to talk about it, but it gave him some kind of peace inside. Knowing how much Carth loved his mother also helped. He genuinely thought that his father had just left for good, and wasn't planning on coming home ever again. But the fact that he was alive, and that fact that he was sorry, made Dustil feel better about it.

After he had gotten over that hurdle, he was able to converse properly with his father, like the way he should have when he was younger. He learnt to forgive, and learnt to forget. And knowing that his father still loved him helped a lot with the process of him returning to good. Dustil smiled when he thought back to the time he told his father he was a Jedi Knight. Oh, the absolute joy he displayed, the affection. He'd found something that he had missed out on.

"So, she accepted?" Carth asked, filling the silence.

Dustil shook out of his state of thought, and nodded. He grabbed back his focus, and watched the small hologram of his father as he stood still, his hands behind his back in a dutiful pose.

"You see, I told you she wouldn't say no," his father smiled.

Dustil sighed, and wiped his head.

"It took a little persuasion," he sighed.

Carth laughed, his hands resting at his sides and his posture becoming more tame and relaxed.

"She's a woman. She has her own mind. Plus, I'm sure you handled it fine," Carth explained, supporting him.

"Urgh, yeah. Just as much as hassle as mum," he chuckled.

"Well then I can easily empathise with you," Carth laughed.

I snuck my head around the corner, watching Dustil as he laughed. He may have noticed me, but I had learnt to improve my ability to sneak upon him since I knew how his mind worked. It would have helped me with my skills as an assassin too. So the better I got with him, the better I was overall, and even more so since he was always checking if I was around.

"So... you know where to come tomorrow, right?" Carth pressed.

Dustil stopped laughing, and faded into a relaxed state of mind. No, he hadn't noticed me... yet.

"Yep, I'm glad you're on Telos again. It'll remind us," he smiled weakly.

He looked down, an ounce of sorrow embedded deep in his mind. He had often hidden it, but by the tense silence, I knew it had returned. I felt very sorry for him sometimes.

"So what have you been up to? Got any plans before we meet up?" Carth inquired.

"Pfft, no. We're quite a way out right now, so we'll only be a couple of hours early," Dustil replied, stretching out his arms in front of him.

His father smiled lightly, then looked behind his shoulder. He began a brief conversation with someone we couldn't see, then returned to the conversation with Dustil.

"You busy?" he sighed.

"Kind of, but it doesn't matter right now. We needed to talk," Carth persisted.

Dustil nodded, and put one of his hands off the end of the chair, letting it hang and sway gently.

"Well I won't keep you too much longer, but I will ask one thing. Kelria will probably need to know... what to wear," he added.

"Oh, oh right. Yeah, I hadn't really thought of that. Erm, just... casual I'd say. Yeah, just casual... maybe a bit formal... I'm sure she'll come up with something," Carth said blankly.

Suddenly, I heard something drop behind me. I didn't look to see what it was, but spun around with a blaster ready in my hand.

"Kelria?" Dustil asked.

My breathing began to escalate. Whatever had fallen, it hadn't been far away, but too far away for it to have been something of my own. No it was something different.

"Dustil, I think we have a stowaway!" I called, advancing down the corridor slowly, a blaster in one hand and my other outstretched.

I heard the tapping as he came down the corridor after me, catching up quickly. I remained exactly where I was, my eyes focused in front of me. He looked over my shoulder and down my outstretched arm. I held my pistol close to the side of my chest, ready to fire if needed. I had a feeling that I wouldn't need to, but I was ready just to be sure.

"You sure? You sure it wasn't just you?" he asked, his eyes taking in the empty corridor.

"I'm an assassin, not senile!" I whispered, trying not to raise my voice too much.

Slowly, I stepped forward, arcing around the doorway of the closest room. The store room looked completely untouched, apart from a slightly open cupboard. I stepped towards it slowly, and sighed.

"Bet you twenty-five credits that it's an animal," I said, looking over my shoulder at Dustil.

"Okay, I'll take that up," he nodded.

Cautiously, I opened the cupboard, and a womp rat fell out. Stepping back in shock, I froze, then laughed. I dropped the gun in my hand, and landed as a giggling mass on the floor. I heard Dustil laughing behind me, but my eyes were too tightly shut for me to see him.

The womp rat began to scurry around the empty, its claws catching the irregularities in the floor. Its matted fur brushed against my leg as it hopped around and searched for more food. Slowly, its tail slipped over my leg too, and slapped against the floor.

Eventually, I lifted myself off of the floor, and turned to look at Dustil. He smiled at me, holding out a hand. Inside of it were twenty-five credits. I looked lovingly into his eyes, and closed his hand around it, clasping his with mine. I stepped closer towards him, and kissed him gently on the lips. Our noses pressed against each others, and we pulled back, looking down at one another, our forehead touching.

"You can keep your credits, captain," I teased.

He pulled me closer to him by wrapping one arm around my lower waist.

"Good, but you know you'll have to get rid of it. I'm not cruel enough to kill it," he warned.

I nodded and pushed away from him.

I waited until he had turned away and left the room before I picked up my pistol. Sliding it off of the ground, I aimed it at the womp rat. Giving the womp rat a last chance to look at the world around him, I hesitated before I pulled the trigger. I had to convince myself that it was just vermin before I shot it, and it didn't really work. I winced as I pulled the trigger, and the womp rat was pushed back a few feet by the impact of the laser.

My arm went limp, and the weapon dropped with my arm. I slipped it into its holder on my waist, and slid my fingers under the womp rat. Gradually, I lifted it off of the ground, and took it towards the rubbish shoot. I pulled open the rubbish shoot, and shoved the body of the creature down it.

Dustil sat down in his seat again. It was still warm from the previous time he had sat in it, and he welcomed the warmth as it sunk into his skin. The comlink was still flashing, and he sighed. The hologram of his father popped up again, and he was frowning.

"Stowaway dealt with?" he asked.

"Yes. Quite a womp rat," Dustil giggled.

Carth smiled widely but held back his laughter.

"Sounds like your partner's paranoid," he added.

Dustil paused, and shifted his weight a little.

"She's just... wary," he defended.

"Yeah... oh, I didn't mean anything by it," Carth claimed.

Dustil sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

"I know. She's worried about meeting you, you know?" he explained.

"Why?" Carth asked, frowning in disbelief.

"She's... just worried that you won't like her. That you won't accept her," Dustil whispered, trying to make sure that if Kelria was around, she couldn't hear.

"Well she doesn't need to worry. She couldn't have done anything that bad, could she? She's not a villain or something, is she?" Carth joked.

Dustil swallowed, trying to keep a straight face. Carth leant forward, looking into the silence.

"What has she done? Something's bothering you, so what has she done?" he pestered.

"She was not as bad as Revan," Dustil compared.

"Oh, so she's no angel?" he concluded.

"No, she's _my_ angel. And she's saved me from myself many times. Her record just isn't... clean," Dustil added.

Carth nodded, accepting the answer.

"Well, just as long as you are happy, then I don't have a problem. If she's changed like you say she has, then I don't even need to know about what she has done in the past. Just what she is now," he comforted.

Dustil took in the words and relaxed again. He couldn't tell his dad without him freaking out, so it wasn't worth telling. It didn't mean anything anymore either.

"Right, well I'll let you carry on with your duties. See you tomorrow, father," Dustil smiled, leaning forward in is seat and preparing himself for the flight ahead.

"Yes, see you soon, son. I can't wait to see you again. And to meet your companion," Carth finished, saluting as the hologram went off.

Dustil leant back in his seat and put both of his hands behind his head. Carefully, he rocked the chair back and forth, thinking as it nudged him one way or another. All of a sudden, the chair stopped rocking. He turned to look behind him, and Kelria was leaning over the chair, resting her chin on her hands that were crossed on the rim of the chair.

I looked down at Dustil, a feeling of higher authority overwhelming me, and I sunk into my own calm zone.

"So, what are we going to do today? It won't take any longer than a few hours to get there," I pestered.

Dustil lifted his hand slowly, and put one finger to the side of his nose. His eyes looked mockingly at me and he leant closer.

"You'll have to wait and see," he smiled.

I sighed, and got up off of the chair. Dustil turned to the controls, and started getting the ship ready for our next destination. As his attention fled from me, I sat down in the chair next to him, and watched him as he started flying the ship, dodging it through the small shards of debris that clouded the area outside. We weren't anywhere in particular, and we hadn't been anywhere on the ground in days. Then again, neither of us was complaining. Just as long as we could survive and we were together, we had everything we needed.

His eyes moved frantically from the controls to the view in front of him with unbroken focus. When I used to watch him, he'd get paranoid that I was looked at a whole in his uniform or something, but over time he learnt to ignore me completely whilst flying. He no longer got distracted by my lingering eyes, and his focus got better and better. Sometimes he'd try to impress me by doing something that he thought was awesome, and I'd just sigh. Considering he was a Jedi Knight that should be controlled and calm, he was such a show-off.

His hair hung over his forehead and caressed his cheek gently, altering its position whenever he leant forward or back. His brown eyes were relaxed and were soothing to look at. His skin wasn't nearly as pale as it was when I first met him, and for that I was grateful. He looked like one of those Sith. That wouldn't be any good for him or me.

I sat back in the seat, waiting for the end of the journey to come. Of course I had a couple of hours to wait, but just as long as I was with Dustil, I could have waited forever pretty much. As the colours of the outside sunk into my mind, I shut my eyes slowly, catching up on a bit more sleep if possible.


	6. A Quick Break

**A Quick Break**

Unexpectedly, someone grabbed my arms and started shaking me. My eyes flew open, and one hand had already gone to get my gun from the holder on my waist. I stopped immediately, and relaxed.

"What have I told you about waking me up like that?" I asked, stretching in my seat.

Dustil laughed lightly, and took his hands off of my arms, grabbing my hands. He pulled me up quickly, and I had to steady myself to stop myself going flying.

Dustil kept one of my hands in his, and began pulling me through the ship. We had landed in a large hangar from what I could tell, and he seemed to be taking me to the ramp. I guess we had arrived... wherever he had intended for us to land. Of course, he'd still kept quiet about where we actually were, and I had no kind of landscape to look at for an educated guess.

"Where are me? What are we doing?" I asked sternly.

He didn't stop, but turned to look at me whilst we ran through the ship.

"We're going shopping. Just for you, of course, but all you have is that armour," he laughed.

I tried to stop there and then by forcing my heels into the ground, but it just led him to dragging me harder. I pulled back with my own hand, but he was too strong for me. It didn't even slow him down.

As soon as we reached the ramp, he pressed on the console to his right, and the ramp dropped slowly, creaking as it went. Dustil let go of my hand, and I got ready to run. He grabbed my shoulder, and looked straight into my eyes.

"Don't make me have to hold your hand all the way around. That won't help your reputation... or mine any. Just do it, please?" he asked.

It wasn't that much of a big deal for me really. I mean, of course the whole not wearing armour would be, but actually going shopping wasn't such a biggy. I wasn't a girly girl, but I wasn't one who didn't like to look good. I was more worried about what he had chosen out for me. Otherwise, he would have taken me somewhere else, he only took me to places where he'd seen something that he'd like me to wear. Not that I might like to wear.

The ramp thudded as it hit the ground, then settled soon after. Eagerly, he pulled me down the ramp to the smooth floor of the hangar. My heavy boots got stuck on some of the grips on the ramp, and I tripped on my way down. Dustil caught me in his arms, and helped me back to my feet. Brushing myself down, I moved on and stepped more carefully on the ramp.

I adapted my walking pattern as the ground changed from the rutted ramp to the level ground of the hangar. The cool air was an improvement to the more stuffy and clingy air on board the ship. Natural air was always better than created, filtered air. Filtered air got stuck in your throat, and clung to your chest, whilst clean, natural air provided me with all of the comfort I needed. It was there to not only sustain life, but make your life comfortable.

Dustil walked in front of me, leading the way. I did not recognise the hangar from previous encounters, so I trusted him to find his way around. Plus, Jedi tend to have an uncanny sense of direction… on some planets. Dustil had managed to get us lost on numerous planets before, but there weren't many reference points. Kashyyk was an absolute nightmare.

Following closely behind him, I pushed the sides of my armour and made my guns nice and visible. I pushed my shoulders forward, and made sure my jetpack was on straight. If I was going to be a decent bounty hunter, I needed to at least look like I was dangerous. Otherwise, what was the point? You wouldn't run from someone you weren't afraid… or at least suspicious of.

Dustil pulled over the hood of his cloak, it trailing gracefully behind him, billowing with each new step. I kept a good distance from him; enough to make it look like I wasn't trying to step on his cloak. I took big small steps, flaunting myself and trying to attract attention. I was what I was best for. If I couldn't show off, then there was no point wearing such attractive clothing. And I wasn't fat, so I may as well.

The hangar was pretty much empty, with only a few very small ships there. Dustil's looked huge compared to most of them. But then again, not many could afford such a fine and huge ship without it either being something that someone had given them, or something for their job. Either way, they didn't fully own it, as they hadn't bought it. People can lend things, not give. They always want something back.

I followed Dustil through an assortment of corridors, all of them very fancy and regal. It made me realise that we weren't in just any hangar. We were somewhere fancy… and expensive. Almost like a hotel... with a hangar. Which was unusual anyway, and I had never seen or even heard of a place like it. But then again, my knowledge on what did and didn't exist in the galaxy was flawed and full of holes.

He stopped outside of a door in the corridor, and I waited a few doors away, leaning on the wall. I folded my arms, and crossed my legs, balancing myself on the wall, my eyes focused on Dustil. He looked over to me, his eyes coaxing me towards him. I maintained my fixed expression, and patted down the front of my armour.

It was beginning to look a bit worn itself, and I had the money to get some better stuff. Mine was pretty good, but there were a lot better types that I could name. Apparently, from rumours I had heard, they had a name and lighter armour on the market, and that it was the best stuff around. Now that was something that I seriously wanted to consider. Even if I didn't often do bounties anymore. There was always something worth doing with action involved.

The door slid open, and Dustil strode inside. I followed him cautiously. As I walked to the doorway, I kept my senses tuned in, checking to see if anyone had followed us or something. As it stood, Dustil still had a bounty on his head, even if it had very little value after my encounter with him. His bounty had dropped considerably from five million, and was now wavering on a hundred thousand. The main reason for that was because he was no longer a person of particular interest. As far as the bounty hunters were concerned, there were bigger and more impressive fish.

I stepped in, and we were inside of a clothing showroom. Looking around in awe, I discovered something. All of the clothing was actually... pretty okay. It wasn't really my thing for casual use. All of it was very regal looking or just too fancy to be worn for anything casual. Plus, I didn't really wear casual clothing anyway, so I guess I couldn't comment.

Dustil stood at the counter, his elbow resting on the table. He pointed over to me, and a twi'lek woman was speaking to him, examining me with her eyes. Her eyes passed from him to me as he spoke, and I couldn't make out what he was saying. She frowned every so often, then straightened herself out.

Gradually, I got very bored of watching them, and started to look around the shop. It wasn't big, but everything looked handmade. It was very unusual to find a place of a sort like that anymore, especially one that wasn't a computerised vendor. Not many actually had staff, even if it just seemed to be the one. And to be in such an expensive looking complex? It was pretty much unheard of. However, if anyone was going to know where places like we were in were, it would be Dustil. It was funny, the random little things he knew.

Suddenly, the twi'lek woman tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around slowly, looking over at Dustil to check if I was doing the right thing.

"Would you mind following me?" she asked, her hand pointing to another corridor.

"Oh... yeah, sure," I said, startled.

She started walking forward towards them. Cautiously, I followed close behind her, looking around the rooms as I followed.

She stopped outside of a small group of rooms, and pointed to the door.

"Your choices are in there. Please call if you need any assistance," she smiled politely.

I nodded, returning with a reassuring smile. It was more for the benefit of reassuring myself, but I needed to make sure I didn't look like a fool on the outside.

The door slid open in front of me, and I stepped in slowly, looking around the corridor first. I didn't know why I was so paranoid about other people being around, but I felt kind of nervous in the new situation. As I had said before, I wasn't really a girly girl. I just never had been... no other reason.

The room itself was nice and small, like a small bedroom. The only furniture in the room were a table and a petite, comfy looking chair. Lying on a chair were three outfits, each very different. I held all of them up, admiring them.

One was a cherry coloured dress. It was tight at the top, reflecting on the very regal style of events it was originally made for. The top half curved gently at the front, leading down to the bottom of the dress. It flared out at the top, the clung close to the legs near the bottom. I sighed, and put it back on the chair.

I liked my body, but that was a bit much. Plus, it really was a bit too over the top. I mean, I didn't know what Carth would be wearing, but Dustil would be wearing his robes... like always. He was a bit of hypocrite when he said I couldn't wear my armour, wasn't he. But then again, his robes held a symbolic meaning to not only him, but many people. My armour only made me feel awesome, and protected me from light damage. Other than that, it was just something that meant something to me.

The second was slightly more practical. Again, it was a dress, but it was floor length, and it wasn't tight fitting at the bottom. The bodice was very decorative, covered in small sparkly bits. Bottle green wasn't really something I had considered wearing in the past, but I guess I could have lived with it. The bottom half of the dress was very light and flowing. If there was going to be a perfect dress... that was it. I put it up on the table, and looked at my last option.

Smiling, I carefully examined the tight blue jumpsuit. It had a belt across the waist, and attached to it was a bunch of ruffles, leading from the waist to half way down the upper leg, but not attached, so it hung loosely at the side. It suddenly occurred to me that I would probably want to at least take a gun. Surely it would be easy to hide one under all of the ruffles... maybe even two or three.

I placed the jumpsuit on the table next to the dress and sighed. I couldn't choose. And that only meant one thing. I'd have to try them on. Eventually, I began pulling off my armour, starting with my jetpack and belt.

After I managed to get all of it off, I tried on the dress first. Slipping the bodice over my head, the bottom half of the dress flowed down from my waist, brushing against my legs and knees until it stopped advancing, and landed on the ground. I looked at the closest reflective surface, and put my hands on my hips.

Hell, I looked great, but I had a serious problem. Nowhere to put my gun... or guns. I could accept sacrificing the jetpack, but I needed something to protect myself. I didn't think that I could go anywhere without at least something to protect me. I didn't need to make myself vulnerable in order to make myself look appealing. I pulled at the bodice, seeing if it would stretch or allow something to be concealed underneath it. I soon found out that the answer was no, and it didn't even budge. Sighing and pushing my shoulders down in disappointment, I pulled off the dress.

Afterwards, I then put on the jumpsuit. At first it was hard to get on, hugging my legs and waist tightly, but once it was on, it fit pretty much perfectly. I put my hands on my hips like I had done before, and checked myself out. The colour was quite flattering for me, and the ruffle on my hip looked intriguing. I hadn't seen anything like it before, but I liked it.

Returning to my previous train of thought, I picked up my belt with my guns on, and held it in both hands, slipping it around my waist. I made it hang just under the belt that was with the jumpsuit, and hid the guns underneath the bunch of ruffles. I looked at the holders, and realised I could probably have fit about three guns down there. Of course, it would be odd having more than one on one side, but I could adapt. I needed to know that they were they, just in case anything happened.

Just before I considered taking it off, I put my metallic boots on. I wasn't expecting it to suit with it, but surprisingly enough, it looked pretty awesome. If I could wear my boots too, then I'd be fine. I loved my boots, just not quite as much as my guns. But having both would be the best of both worlds.

Satisfied, I slipped off my boots and the jumpsuit.

Dustil tapped his fingers on the counter, staring off into space.

"I'm ready," Kelria smiled, an item of clothing in her hand.

"Okay, let's buy-" he started.

"I've already bought it. I just didn't disturb you whilst you were thinking," I giggled.

Dustil chuckled quietly, and waved to the twi'lek. She waved back, smiling politely as we left together.

Dustil pushed down the corridors, not saying a word. I wasn't entirely sure why, whether it was keeping up appearances or something else, but I just traced my path a way back from him, keeping a good distance. My heavy boots thudded against the floor as I walked and I tried my best to prevent it, but they were there to look good and make a noise. I couldn't rid them of their primary function, especially since they were so good at it.

After a long walk, I reached the hangar. Dustil was waiting for me by the ramp, his hood still pulled over his face. Sighing, I stepped forward towards the ramp. He put his hand out to help me up, but I pushed it away, forcing myself up the deeply rutted ramp. As soon as I was inside of the ship, Dustil strode gracefully in, then pressed the console.


	7. On The Day

**On The Day**

I woke up the following morning after a very much disturbed sleep. It was practically impossible for me to keep my nerves down and my excitement. It kept bubbling up inside of me, overflowing.

After we got onboard the ship, we realised that we had made a bit of an error. It hadn't really occurred to Dustil to include the time shift from planet to plant, so he soon realised that by the time we would get to Telos, we would only have about an hour to get there, so we took shifts on flying the ship. Of course, I sucked as a pilot, but I knew enough to not get either of us killed, and what I needed to do. Dustil always needed a lot of sleep before he got out of the ship; he said that it drained him being in a different environment. And I, of course told him that he needed to get out more.

My shift had been over a few hours previously, and we were now nearly at Telos. Quickly, I got up out of my bed, and stretched out my arms. I clicked on my comlink and waited.

"Yes?" Dustil's voice echoed through my com.

"How long?" I asked quickly.

"Just over an hour, we'll be landing in half," he relayed.

I smiled briefly, then returned my focus.

"Okay thanks, I'm going to start getting myself ready," I said.

I heard Dustil laugh to himself.

"Sure, you'll know when we land," he monotone, and turned off the comlink.

Sighing, I began to get myself changed, and cleaned myself up a bit.

Carth threw his jacket on the pile of clothes that he had already discarded. His legs stuck out of the wardrobe, and then he would come out every so often, a jacket in hand. He walked over to his mirror and held up a dark grey jacket up to his chest, pressing it against his body. He immediately threw it down, and returned to his intense rummaging through his wardrobe.

He had told himself that he could not wear the same orange jacket that he always wore. He had learnt that he could not be so rigid in his ways, but he couldn't think of anything else that suited him well enough. All the other ones that he thought looked great happened to not be playing ball, and were either too big now or just looked odd.

Unsure where the new need to look good in front of Dustil's new girlfriend, he thought about it as he rummaged. He had no idea what her standards were or what she looked like. He kept trying to tell himself that he should just act casual, but he couldn't. Dustil wasn't one to make small time commitments, so it meant he was serious, especially so if he had stopped his Jedi Knight training because of her. If it was important to Dustil, it was important to him.

Thinking back, he found that his determination to impress somehow related very similarly to his need to impress Illaya. She had been such a remarkable woman herself, and he felt like he could barely compete with a woman of her standards. Kelria seemed to be such a pushover compared to her, but he had somehow gained the need to impress her, even though she wasn't his. She was Dustil's.

Suddenly, he remembered back to his travels with Illaya. Clicking his fingers, he sunk his hand deep into the wardrobe and pulled out a black and blue jacket. Satisfied, he put it up to his chest and breathed in, standing dutifully like he always did. Sure that he had made the right decision, he slipped it on, and stretched. He looked at the time and sighed. They'd be there in an hour.

Frantically, he left his room and began to make sure everything was set for when his guests arrived.

I stared at myself in the mirror and smiled. Wow, I did look good. I was glad to admit that to myself. My tummy looked nice and flat, my chest looked... good. And I looked like a noble. Surprisingly, I was quite relieved that I had got a chance to take my armour off. I could barely remember a time where I had not worn the stuff. I stretched out my back and smiled. My shoulders weren't pulled down by my jetpack, and I had solutions to my vulnerability problem.

Firstly, the guns were really easy to hide. I slotted in my two pistols, both slender and feminine in appearance. They were perfect for me, showing me to be serious about my work, but maintaining a feminine style. I slotted in a last one, Carth's gun. It was a lot bulkier than the other two, but it still fit easily, and they clung gently to my legs. At least they wouldn't move around when I sat down or walked around.

I still wasn't sure on how or why Dustil had one of his father's guns, but I guessed that I shouldn't ask. Carth did have more than one surprisingly. And according to Dustil, he'd left that one at home for his wife to use if they got into any trouble. Since Dustil said his mum died, I assumed that he kept it to protect himself.

Considering that Dustil and I were... 'an item', I knew very little about his past. He often told me about how he said his father had left his mother and him on their own, and that they got attacked. Other than that, I knew very little about him. I never knew when or how he joined the order, or why he was on his own most of the time anyway. But then again, very few even knew that Carth Onasi's son existed, let alone if he was alive.

Moving on, I picked up my boots, and slid them on my feet. I couldn't believe that they actually went with what I was wearing, but I was very relieved that they did. There was a slot on the back of both boots, and I picked up my wrist gauntlets. Folding them in half, I looked for the grooves on the sides, and slotted them into the back of my boots. The good thing about those boots was that the wrist gauntlets fit in, and they actually looked normal. Other than the fact that they were big, metallic clunky things anyway. But they looked amazing!

"Hey, you ready?–" Dustil started. "Holy – you look... amazing! Nice boots!" he laughed.

I laughed, and looked at his outfit. Yep, just his robes. No effort included. Looking me up and down, he breathed out heavily.

"Well where's your outfit?" I pressed.

He froze. Holding his robes tightly with his hands, he sighed.

"You know I have to wear these! How many times–" he started.

"Relax. I was joking," I insisted.

He recoiled and his smile returned. He always thought I was taking a stab at his Jedi Knight duties, but that was never my intention. Regardless, I did love to wind him up. I would tell him that it helped him improve his control on his emotions. Unfortunately, he said that they were ineffective and an untrue indicator on his defence mechanism. And then I would tell him that that was a load of rubbish.

Dustil stood up straight and walked over to me, his arms outstretched. Embracing me, he lifted me gently off of the ground, then placed me back down.

"So, how long until we meet up?" I asked.

"Well we're in orbit right now, we'll be meeting up with him in about ten minutes," he replied.

"How will we get there in time?" I questioned, worry rising up in my body.

Being late would put a bad impression on me already, and I didn't need that.

Chuckling, he put his arms around me waist and pulled me towards him.

"Don't worry gorgeous, his house is right next to the hangar. Plus, my dad is not ever ready on time," he assured me, stroking my face.

I smiled and attempted to bite his finger playfully as it passed my lips, but as always, he was too quick for me. In the amount of time it would take me to chop his finger, he had already lifted me off of the ground bundled In his arms, and carried me through the ship.

Laughing, I tried tickling him to make me let get. He squirmed uncomfortably, his body writhing and he feet crossing over each other. In spite of that, he continued running to the cockpit with me held tightly in his arms, carrying me like a young child. The more I tickled him, the faster he ran so he could put me down in my seat, and we could get going.

Shortly afterwards, we arrived in the cockpit, and he put me caringly on my feet. As I took back my hands that had been wrapped around his neck, I pulled him closer to me, and kissed him on the lips. Comfortable with my advancement on him, he pressed lovingly against mine, caressing my lips in his. Tracing a line up from his neck to his hair, I pulled him into me further, enjoying every second.

He pulled back shortly after, looking down at me. Smiling I pushed my forehead against his making contact from our hairlines to the tips of our noses. Dropping my hands to my sides, he put both of his hands on my shoulders and rested them there. Realising the amount of time we were wasting, I took a deep breath.

"Don't you think we should get going?" I pointed out.

He smiled, and nodded. Withdrawing from me, he slid into the pilot's chair, and took control of the ship. Supportively, I sat down in the chair next to him, and watched him land like I so often did, watching his numerous expressions.

The ship swerved at first, then we made the steady descent to the hangar... wherever it happened to be positioned. I had never been to Telos before, as Dustil had been rather reluctant to take, insisting there were a lot better places to visit for an all round trip. He was probably right, but I had no way of knowing other than looking at things and places on holovids. Even then, I still couldn't be sure. Some places were made to be perfect, while others plagued with bias against it.


	8. Onasi's Haven

**Onasi's Haven**

Dustil had really meant it when he had said it was a short walk from the hangar to the house... actually, mansion. The hangar was built into the place. He landed us in the empty hangar, and I could see a dark figure by the doors leading to the house. As we touched the surface, the figure walked casually over. The steam and smoke lifted from underneath the ship, lifting and clouding the vision of the outside.

As soon as Dustil turned everything off, I jumped up out of my seat and waited to one side for Dustil. Slowly, he took off the headset he was wearing, and stretched up out of his seat. Once he was up, he spun around and pushed past me, grabbing my hand to lead me down the corridors. Pulling me through the familiar and basic looking corridors, I swallowed down most of the fear that had begun to build up in my chest, and followed Dustil.

Once we reached the ramp, Dustil pressed down on the console. The ramp slowly lowered, the artificial light of the hangar pouring in. Quickly, I made last second adjustments to my outfit and made sure my guns were not visible. Luckily, I had pretty much no problem on that front. The ruffles were that large that I probably, if I had spent more time concealing it... maybe have fit another one in.

Once the ramp was down fully, I had my firth glimpse of Carth. Dustil had described him perfectly, and the holovids were so accurate. I actually was surprised how much he hadn't seemed to have changed in the past few years, considering he was now in his early forties. He was wearing a blue and black jacket which looked quite dashing. To be honest, I was shocked that he had even made the effort to try and accommodate for me. And I was quite flattered.

Dustil stepped out first, stomping down the steps and going to the opposing side of the ramp to his father. He kept hold of my hand, and then I stepped carefully down the rutted ramp, ensuring that I didn't stumble. Carth held out his hand and put it behind my back. What a polite gesture. Slowly, I reached the end of the ramp, and Dustil came next to me. Carth stood in front of us both, a smile on his face.

He first looked Dustil in the eye, his eyes showing a mixture of sorrow and joy. He was glad to see his son again.

"Hello father," Dustil greeted formally.

Carth nodded, making his face straight. He lunged forward and hugged his son who was completely taken aback by the gesture.

"It's good to have you home, son," he smiled.

Carth then turned to me, and examined me. I swallowed harshly, and smiled in a friendly manor.

"You must be Kelria," he started.

I nodded, and he put his hand out. I wasn't expecting a handshake, but I put my hand in his, firmly grasping it. He recoiled straight after, and put his hands behind his back.

"Wow, quite a handshake. I can see that we have plenty to talk about," he smiled.

I returned his smile, looking up at Dustil once he had turned. Carth led the way with Dustil, talking quietly amongst themselves. I kept well back from them, getting a chance to look around the hangar a bit. I looked past the force field that led to the outside, and the dark blanket littered with jewels greeted me. It looked so peaceful outside. I favoured the moment, realising it might have been the only good look I'd get of Telos.

"You coming?" I heard Carth call.

I snapped my head around, and quickly walked over. "You never seen the sky before," he asked.

"I'm sorry... I've never been to Telos before. I always like to look at the sky," I admitted nervously.

"Oh, no need to apologize! Seriously, you've never been here before?" he inquired, a shocked expression on his face.

I looked at Dustil for him to help me out, but he was reluctant to do so.

"No," I replied firmly.

He nodded and looked to Dustil with a tint of disappointment. Great, I had done something wrong already. I hated dealing with families. Even more so if they were important. I would muck up every time.

Following closer this time, we passed through a large sitting room, and into an even larger dining hall. And yes, I meant hall. The place was huge. The glass walls gave me the best image of the sky I could have hoped for. The glister shone brightly in the sky, showing me the universe. It didn't seem so impressive in space itself. I didn't know why, but when you looked up at the sky and how far away everything was, it all came into perspective.

I looked at the huge table, and nearly had a panic attack. Where was I supposed to sit? As I stepped into the room, Dustil coaxed me over to him. He put his hand on the chair in front of him, and put his hand out to me.

"You'll be sitting here. I'll be opposite you, okay?" he asked loudly. "As far as he knows, you are an accountant. He will ask you about your life, just make it up as you go along," he whispered.

The difference between the two tones was remarkable, but I knew why he had done it. Carth couldn't know what I really did... or at least, didn't need to know yet. It wouldn't be a great start telling him that I was a bounty hunter. So I had to make up my own story. Well, it wouldn't end up being very imaginative since it was coming from me. To be honest, it was probably best that way. It wouldn't be too farfetched.

As Dustil had said, he walked around the table and sat on the opposing side, his eyes surveying me. He was checking for my responses, seeing what I was thinking. I kept a straight face and shut him out of my mind the best I could. It made me feel dizzy when he messed with my head. He looked at me severely when he realised that my intention was to shut him out, and sat down in the seat, his eyes still fixed on me.

Carth sat on the end of the table, wedged in between me and Dustil. We sat right up at one end of the table, making everything seem quite intimate in the little space of the hall and table we were actually using.

"I assume you're both hungry?" Carth said.

Both Dustil and I nodded, relaxing into our seats. I put my hands on my upper legs and held my hands in tight fists. My trigger happy persona tried to peep out, but I shut her in her little box. I didn't need her. I needed the fat lady persona, the one that wanted to eat. Unfortunately, I didn't really have one of those.

"Well the food will be ready in a few minutes, until then, we can... talk," Carth offered.

"Okay, what do you want to know?" Dustil started, trying to put the conversation on track.

Carth leant forward on the table, his fingers entwined and his elbows resting gently on the table.

"Well you first told me that you were going on an exploring trip... alone. I haven't heard anything about how you two met," Carth explained, trying to express interest. Or maybe it was genuine.

Carth turned to look at me, waiting for me to speak.

"It's nothing amazing. We met in a bar on Tatooine," I explained.

"Tatooine? That's an odd place to be. What were you there for?" he questioned.

"I was raised there as a child. I returned to... get a feel of the place again. It's not the most spectacular home in the world, but I was glad to be back," I smiled.

The whole making up my life actually didn't seem that hard at all. All I needed to do was monitor my facts, and add in fiction.

"You... have family there?" he asked.

Dustil coughed quietly, but it echoed through the empty room. My eyes shifted off of Carth and onto the table. Lifting my arms off of my legs, I put my elbows on the table and my hands encased in one another over my mouth.

"Erm, no... no she doesn't," Dustil answered quickly, trying to hide my reluctance to answer.

Family.

Carth recoiled for a second and thought about what he was going to say.

"Well I'm sorry if that touched a tender spot. I meant nothing by it, I assure you," he insisted guiltily.

I nodded, the confidence to answer pushed out of me. If only I had a family to speak about.

"So what have you been up to father? Nothing nasty going on up in space, I hope," Dustil started.

Carth's eyes remained on me, and spoke sideways to Dustil.

"No, to be honest, it's nice and quiet. I think the galaxy needed a break from all the battles. It never ends, but it's getting better," Carth replied.

Dustil nodded and his eyes too trailed over to me. Carth opened his mouth ready to speak, and I could tell he was going to have another pick at me.

"So I understand that you're an accountant?" he asked.

"Yes," I confirmed. "But currently doing very little of the sorts."

"I'm sure there are... more important things to be doing," he smiled, looking over at Dustil.

Yep, there was a more important thing to be doing. His name was Dustil.

Dustil's eyes went wide as he looked over at me, and I smirked. If only. His eyes wandered back to his father, and I deliberately, for my personal entertainment, left my mind open. If the night was going to be so tense, if the only good jokes came from my mind, then at least I could indulge in them.

Suddenly, the doors behind Carth flew open, and three droids came out. All of them held plates and glasses in their hands, and they placed them in front of us. The droid that I had leant over my right shoulder and placed the plate in front of me.

I recognised the food to Ahrisa, the little yellow puffs sitting on the plate. A nice little starter that wasn't too filling either. Pretty much a perfect start. And a food that was used for poison resistance. But then again, every food had its bonuses.

The drink was also easily recognisable as a fairly weak spiced tea. The light brown liquid swirled at the top, creating little shapes in the thin layer of froth.

Before I dug in, I waited for both of them to start theirs first. Dustil picked up one of the Ahrisa puffs, and lightly placed it in his mouth. I did the same, then had a small sip of the spiced tea. The Ahrisa tasted sweeter than usual, and I enjoyed the different sensation. It was a treat that I very much loved to have. The tea complemented it and made it a lot easier to swallow.

"So how did you get... this place?" Dustil asked, pointing at the ceiling.

Carth placed down his utensils and finished chewing what he was eating.

"Well I have owned it for a while... just don't often come here. I don't have a problem with money," he replied.

"It... feels odd. You own it?" Dustil asked, looking around the room.

"Yes. Why, what's wrong?" he questioned.

"It just feels... like it's inhabited," Dustil replied.

He shrugged, and both of them returned to their meals.

I continued with the sequence that I had made until I had finished all of the Ahrisa, and sipped up the last bit of my spiced tea. Carth had finished just before I had, and Dustil was still going. His father looked over to me, watching my movements. I tried not to look at him, keeping my eyes on Dustil. As soon as Dustil noticed my slight moment of frantic panic in my mind, he sped up eating. He knew that I was uncomfortable with it. But then again, he knew that I would have been anyway.

"You... you met in a bar then?" Carth asked, remembering back to the previous conversation and trying to revive it.

"Yes," I confirmed, butting on my polite smile.

"How did you... get talking?" he asked.

"Well we kind of didn't to start with. There were a couple of... local thugs giving me trouble," I started.

Carth looked over to Dustil and smiled.

"So he saved you from them?" he inquired, a sense of pride for his son indulging him.

"Actually, she took one of them out there and then," Dustil smiled.

"Oh, so you fight?" Carth asked.

I bit my lip and thought quickly.

"Not very well, I just know how to look after myself," I understated.

"And then what?" he asked.

"One tried to have a go at me. Cut my left arm," I said bitterly, remembering back to that day.

Hell, it ended well, but not before I got hurt.

Carth winced as if he was with me in that moment, and recoiled from the table a light, pushing back into the chair.

"Was it bad?" he asked.

"I... I don't remember," I said, trying to remember.

"She went unconscious," Dustil added.

"That bad?" Carth asked, surprised.

"People do a lot of damage when they are drunk," Dustil warned.

Carth nodded, and the droids came out of the doors again, this time with new drinks and plates. They placed the things that had down first, then picked up the finished plates and glasses. This time we had Corellian Brandy and Teltier Noodles. Smiling down at the plate, I waited once again for everyone else to start, then tucked into the meal myself.

"Why were you going to leave?" Carth asked me, trying to put the puzzle of the situation together.

I looked up at Dustil who froze for a second, then returned to his meal. No help from him today then.

"Dustil offered to show me the galaxy. The stars, the planets... the sky. I hadn't been many places before, and the opportunity was one that I could not miss. But the original offer, as it stood, was that after a year, he would drop me back off," I explained.

Carth nodded with understanding, then opened his mouth again.

"What made you stay?" he asked.

Wow, that was quite a question. Whether he meant what I stayed for, or what Dustil did to make me stay wasn't clear, so I answered both.

"I had fallen in love with Dustil on my travels. Since there was no other crew, we had the ability to bond without interruption. That, inevitably led to me loving him. When I was about to leave, he stopped me and told me how he felt. Then, I just could not leave," I smiled, looking over lovingly at Dustil.

He mimicked my stare, and Carth looked at the both of us and smiled. He could see it. How much I loved his sin... he could see it. And he didn't know what to think.

Suddenly, Dustil's eyes went wide, and he stood up abruptly. Carth had a puzzled expression, and climbed up out of his seat. I stayed put, but stopped eating and drinking. I knew the look. Something was wrong.

Carth walked over to his son and put his arm out at his back, looking him up and down.

"Kelria... get up. Slowly!" he ordered, his eyes on the table.

I put my hands on the table, and slowly pushed myself up. I kept my eyes on him, and putshed the chair back with my legs as I got up.

Dustil looked up to me, and I could see the fear in his eyes. The sheer terror.

"They've come," he swallowed.

I nodded, and Carth looked at me with a confused expression.

"You need to go get all of your stuff when I say. Not until then. Take dad," he ordered.

I nodded, and he looked back down at the table. Carth began to slowly walk around the table back to his seat, and I got ready to sprint.

"Go!" Dustil yelled, pulling out his lightsabre.

**Connections**

I ran towards the doors we had come in, followed close behind by Carth. I didn't look back, but I heard the blaster fire and the strange sounds it made when it ricocheted off of his lightsabre.

Suddenly, the lockdown doors shut both in front and behind us. I stopped as I slid towards the door in front of me, and spun around to look for an exit. There wasn't one. Hence the name, 'lockdown'. Carth sunk down to his knees and pulled at his shoulder. I quickly ran over to him and helped him gently down to the floor. He winced in pain and shut his eyes. I pushed down gently on his hand and lifted it up. He'd been shot in the shoulder.

It didn't look serious or too life threatening, but it definitely looked like it hurt. The once bright corridor was now dimly lit, a murky yellow colour emitted from the lights above. I could see the red liquid beginning to soak into his jacket, and I cursed under my breath. If it bled after a blaster shot, it _was_ serious. I turned my head around frantically, looking for any kind of escape. There was none.

"Oh what a great start," Carth said, squirming in pain.

His teeth were tightly clenched together, and I turned to look back at him.

"How much does it hurt?" I asked, concerned.

"Not too bad. Can't move it, though," he sighed.

All of a sudden, I had a new desperate urge to escape. Accompanied with a brainwave.

"How about shoot?" I asked.

His eyes opened, and he breathed downward, cupping his breath with his upper lip and forcing it downward. I pushed as hard as I could on his wound, and he tried to reposition himself against a wall.

"I could... at least try. We don't have any weapons though," he protested.

I lifted up the bunch of ruffles and pulled out Carth's gun that Dustil had had around on his ship. "How did you-?" he started.

"Dustil protected himself and his mum. As best as he could," I swallowed.

Carth winced again, but whether it was at the painful memory of finding his wife or the pain, I could not determine. I shushed him the best I could, trying to relax him. I put the gun down his hand, and pulled it up.

"At least I got shot in the left," he smiled.

Unable to share his light humour, I got up slowly. Looking into my eyes, Carth pushed on his shoulder himself.

"Do you think you can do that yourself?" I asked hopefully.

"I think so... why, what are you going to do?" he questioned.

I stood up fully and pulled my hand away. I spun around to the door that led to the hangar, and opened up the console next to it.

"I'm going to try and override this thing," I admitted, ready to get to work.

"You can try. Doubt you will though," he informed.

I turned my head around to look at him, and he smiled lightly.

"I'm good," I assured him.

He chuckled quietly to himself, and pushed himself against the wall to try and stop the bleeding.

"Plus, these guys only know how to make a circuit, not how to protect one," I enthused.

"So... you know these people?" he asked.

I froze, then continued slowly with my work. "Please answer my questions. I have a right to know, surely," he insisted.

Keeping my eyes on the console complex, I readied myself to answer his questions. Truthfully.

"You are aware of the bounty on your head?" I inquired.

There was a short pause, but I didn't turn to look at him.

"Is this what it's about?" he sighed.

"It's quite a bounty. And since you seem to be here with no guards, it was an easy target," I said in a monotone.

"You and Dustil were expecting it?" he asked.

"We weren't but we've dealt with it before," I replied.

"What? When?" he asked.

I spun around, stopping with my work.

"Dustil's bounty," I said, nodding.

His frowned in shock and thought.

"Dustil had a bounty? Why?" he questioned.

"You – you're bounty lead to him having one. A bounty through blood," I explained.

"He has a bounty... because of me?" he asked, his voice rising.

I nodded, and turned back to my work.

"Why did he need you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You helped him through it. How?"

"I... know people."

"I respect you Kelria, but you have to show me some back. I know you're lying."

I turned to look at him and sighed.

"The whole reason you have your bounties is due to respect. Because you did things that people didn't like."

Carth stood up slowly keeping his back fully pushed up against the wall. Ready to catch him, I pulled my hand out quickly of the circuit system, and caught it on something. A surge of energy went through my hand, and I spasmed a little bit. The doors to the hangar slid open slightly, but got stuck on something. Cursing in pain, Carth giggled a little.

Determined to beat him in any respect I could, I smiled over at him.

"So you don't have any weapons right now? And you want me to cover for you?" he asked.

"No, why would I want that?" I asked, pulling at my boots.

Gently, I took out my wrist gauntlets from their slots, and unfolded them. Being careful to check which one went on which arm, I slipped them on gently.

"Tends not to be accountant standard issue," he called to me as I fastened them to my arms.

"Just be grateful I'm here," I replied.

I put my hand into the circuits again, trying to get the door to open fully. Neither of us could fit through the gap we had been presented with, and I wasn't entirely sure what I had done in the first place to open it slightly. Sighing, I fumbled around for anything I may have caught my hand on before. I did catch my hand on something sharp, and got a small electric shock this time.

"So what are you then?" he asked.

I fumbled around a little more, trying to see if the sharp thing connected to anything a little more powerful.

"I'm just here to help," I insisted.

Just then, I felt something circular pushed into one side of my head. Turning slowly, Carth held his gun to my head. Hell, and I had been worried about what he'd think of me... and for good reason by the looks of things.

"You're here to collect my bounty, aren't you?" he questioned.

I tried to shake my head, but he stopped me there, "-no! Just… talk to me, no movement!"

I continued to turn my head, showing I was not afraid of him. His finger tightened around the trigger, but I knew he wouldn't press it.

"Go on, shoot me. Shoot me while I'm trying to help you and Dustil. Do it, and prove how much of a badass you are," I sneered.

He pulled back the gun slowly, expecting me to grab it out of his hands. I, of course, would do no such thing. I wasn't going to disarm him just because he was an idiot. Idiots with guns tended to be the most effective killers. Main example used of course was me. At least I had the guts to actually do it.

I turned back to the console and tried to find a connector or something of similar sorts.

"So why are you helping us?" he asked. "Or is it a front so you can get my back turned and you can kill me?"

I scowled at him, disappointed in what he thought of me.

"I'm helping you because I love your son, and I would never let either of your bounties be taken. It's not right," I replied.

"Oh, so you're trying to tell me you are a pacifist?" he asked mockingly.

I put my hand further in and pulled at one of the cables, trying to get some kind of connector or change the circuit.

"I don't think innocents should die," I swore.

Pulling my hand back out, the door slid open, and I put my hands up in the air. Watching me cautiously, I pulled out my guns from under my ruffles and led the way. I kept close to the wall, looking around for mines or anything that could pose any danger. Not that my awareness was very high, but it was worth a try.

The ship sat there undisturbed, watching us with curiosity. Filled with pride, it let its coat glint in the low light. Carth smiled as he looked at it, and I turned to see his expression. As soon as he realised, his face returned to the impressed scowl. To think that I actually thought he was a decent guy. I could accept his wariness, but seriously, I was helping him.

"So where's this respect you mentioned?" I questioned as I walked towards the ramp.

He kept close behind me, looking around the hangar. Stopping abruptly in front of him, he bashed into me and nearly sent me flying.

"What now?" he asked.

Slowly, I lifted my foot gently, and saw what was beneath my foot. I didn't lift it out of the sensor range, and just kept it still.

"Mines? When were these set up?" he asked himself in confusion.

Ignoring his comments, I pulled my foot out of the sensor range slowly, and sighed with relief when it didn't go off. Kneeling down, I tried to disarm it. With very little trouble, the sensor turned off, and the mine was deactivated.

Proudly, I lifted it up in my hand and slipped it onto my belt. It clung to it tightly. Cautiously, I continued to go forward in a crouched position to look for more mines. There were a couple more dotted around, but there were no more that would give us any trouble.

Shortly afterwards, we reached the ramp of the ship.

"What stuff was Dustil on about, anyway?" he called from behind me.

The ramp slid down to the floor, and I clambered up it. Stopping at the top, I turned to look at Carth.

"You coming?" I inquired.

He turned to look at me in amusement, and lifted his gun up in the air.

"Are you kidding me? I don't think you need my help," he chortled.

"Oh ha ha, very funny. Now get yourself up here. Otherwise you'll get nuked," I warned.

He put his hands up in defeat.

"Fine, but don't do anything stupid," he said, conquered by my superiority. I wish.

Scrambling up the ramp after me, he kept close by. Striding through the corridors, I reached the store room.

"This ship aint too bad. Nice," he smiled.

I didn't reply, rummaging desperately through as of the things in there. Finally, I had found what I needed.

Carth watched me as I searched, and I pulled out of the mass a life support pack. Checking it was still useable, I then handed it to Carth, and he shakily took it from me.

"You'd planned to get this all along, hadn't you?" he asked.

I nodded, and slid my guns under my ruffles.

Forcefully, he injected it into his leg, and his body shook with the new energy given to him. The wound stopped bleeding, and slowly began to close up. Turning away from him to get my own things, he grabbed me by the shoulder.

"I don't know who you are... but you've done a great thing. Thank you," he smiled gently.

I returned his smile, and continued to my room.

I could hear the patter of Carth's footsteps as he examined the ship, and I smiled to myself. I thought to myself 'what an idiot. Maybe next time I won't bother with protecting people. Collecting bounties was easier'. I cursed to myself, clearly out the new ideas from my head. Bounties were not an option... they were wrong. I could see it always, but more now that I had travelled with Dustil.

As I reached my room, I sighed in anger. I knew who the bounty hunters were. They would have been from my old company, and probably ones that I had worked with previously. The handiwork was very predictable, yet we still fell foul to the traps we had been set. Probably through my own ignorance and stupidity at times. Maybe I would know some of them personally. Of course, it would be the last time we would meet again. No-one other than me, Dustil and Carth were going to leave alive.

Quickly, I slipped off my belt, wrist gauntlets and boots before I got back into my armour. Quickly, I pulled on my armour and got myself ready for a fight. After my armour was on properly, I slipped on my boots and they clicked as my heels hit the bottom. I clipped my armour to the back of the boots so they kept together and gave me better overall protection. I then pulled on my belt and put my guns in the right places.

"So you are a bounty hunter?" Carth assumed, leaning against the doorframe of my room like Dustil so often did.

"Don't you know to knock?" I sighed, recovering from the increase in my heart rate from the surprise.

"Sorry," he apologized softly, folding his arms.

I kept my eyes on my belt as I fastened it up, and let Carth continue with my interrogation.

"I see now why you were so worried of what I would think," he added.

I nodded, but kept my mouth shut. "You love him, don't you?" he said calmly.

I stopped doing up my belt and pulled it to be sure it was on. I then turned my attention to Carth. His eyes examined my expression only, and I could see he was hurt inside.

"Yes. Yes I do," I confessed.

He nodded, almost looking upset from what I had said. I knew he wasn't impressed by me, and then I knew he wasn't happy with me.

"Then why don't you kill me? I'm sure he's told you all about the terrible things I have done," Carth questioned.

I picked up my wrist gauntlets and began putting them on.

"Because I have no idea what bad things you are on about. What should he have told me?" I asked in curiosity.

"He told you... about how his mother died?" he whimpered.

I shook my head from side to side.

"Not really. He told me that you came to rescue him, but he was taken, and his mother was killed. He never told me who did it or where, just that he was taken and that you were too late. He forgave you," I comforted.

Carth shook his head.

"No, that's not the half of it. Is that all he told you?" Carth asked in shock.

I nodded and clicked my right wrist gauntlet on. Hitting them together, I relaxed my back and turned around to my bed. Gently, I picked up my jetpack and slung it around my back.

"I left him and his mother to die here on Telos. I was too late. My wife... she died. Dustil was taken by the Sith," Carth explained.

I froze, and bit my lip. Carth stood upright and examined my expression. My hands and legs shook with absolute anger. Dustil had been a Sith? And he had never told me? He had been the enemy all along, playing me! A Sith? He was everything that I was against, and he knew it! A Sith cannot redeem himself, as he once stood up for the wrong beliefs. You can't just change that!

"You – he never told you? He was a –" he started, then stopped abruptly.

He saw the pain in my eyes, the tremendous sorrow. He walked towards me slowly, and I felt like dropping to my knees. My eyes were fixed in front of me, and I could barely see through my own tears. He tried to put his arm around me, but I pushed it away.

"I don't know what's worse! The fact that Republic let so many die, or the Sith killed so many! And that both of you are always in the wrong! Always! You can't protect anyone, anything from the evil in the galaxy!" I spat.

Carth tried again to put his arm around me, and this time I let him. Sinking to the floor in shock and sadness, my powerful front collapsed and I sobbed to the ground. Carth pulled me into his chest, and I cried into my hands.

He comforted and shushed me like I had to him when he was injured, and I could hear him muttering to himself. All of a sudden, the anger built up inside of me and I lifted my head quickly. Carth stopped muttering and his eyes watched my expression. Quickly getting up to my feet, I pulled out my guns, and stepped towards the door.

"What are you going to do?" he called as I ran through the corridors.

"I'm going to end this. End it all," I yelled, tears still streaming down my face.

I could hear Carth running after me, the steady and powerful vibrations echoing throughout the ship. Refusing to stop, I ran down the ramp and held the guns close to my head, ready to fire if needs be.

Looking around, I saw all of the advantage points around the room that could have been used. Clicking on my motion monitor, I spotted three being in the room hangar other than Carth and I. Throwing flash grenades in all direction, I created a complete wash of white, and it gave me enough time to go. I threw a frag grenade at the door, and it made a loud hammering sound as it went off. Running forward to get momentum, I lifted off of the ground and pressed my jetpack on. Jetting up to an advantage point that had not been used, I quickly slipped behind it before anyone else had noticed.

I watched over cautiously, and noticed that I could see all of the other beings in the room. All of them were bounty hunters, but none which I recognised. Some of them were still squinting and squirming from the grenades, regaining their sight and feeling in their bodies. Two of them were human males, and one was an ithorian. Not too impressive considering they were going to try and kill people.

Carth sprang out from underneath the ship, and began screaming. He lifted up his arms in anger, and pounded his fists on his knees. Ooh, looks like big Carthy warthy was having a tantwum. He was the perfect bait, considering he was also the target anyway.

The bounty hunters got ready, and I forced both of my guns in front of me, aiming directly at the two humans. Everyone knew ithorians were slower than humans by quite a way. Best to deal with the real competition first.

Just as the two humans were about to shoot with their snipers, I jumped off of the ledge and flew downwards. I hit both humans in the head, killing them instantly. As I got closer to the ground, I pressed the jetpack lever to stop myself suffering from the fall. As I had expected, the ithorian stood up to check if his buddies were okay. I pivoted on the spot and shot at him, the first missing him, but the second hitting him in the leg. He slipped off of the ledge, and landed on the floor. The shot hadn't killed him, but the drop did.

Carth began yelling, and I smirked to myself, walking in the sexy and judgemental way as I had before. After all, I was a sexy bounty hunter, why not show it off?

"So I was the bait? Thanks for telling me!" he yelled.

As I got right up to him, I lifted the gun and tapped it against his chin. His eyes watched the end to see if I would fire, then looked into me.

"You don't need to be thankful. I'll collect their heads later, once I'm finished," I scorned.

Pulling away the gun, I walked over to the door I had blown up. Another grenade, and it would be clear again.

He looked at me with disappointment, but this time, I did not care. I didn't have a judge anymore. There was just me, and my awesome skills. No Carth, no Dustil. My life, lived how I should have lived it to start with. It was a shame I was so behind on my bounties now.

"I thought you said bounties were wrong," Carth pointed out.

I revolved on the spot, and smiled evilly.

"Not if they are criminals. Or Sith," I snickered.

Carth looked at me in terror, and aimed his gun at me again.

Laughing, I turned around fully.

"What you going to do? If you or Dustil have any hope in hell of getting out of here, I suggest you let me kill 'em all for you. I have no intention of going after Dustil. He can live his life with what he has done... alone," I explained with my old seductive tone on.

"I can't let you kill any innocent people," he warned.

"Innocent? The only innocent are children! ... just children," I said, looking down. Just children.

Refusing to let my guard down, I checked my motion monitor. According to mine, there were two more bounty hunters, with another assumedly being Dustil. Picking up a grenade, I threw it at the broken door and looked away. The initial flash tended to be the worst effect of any grenade. Luckily with frags, they weren't too bad. The explosion was pretty safe... as long as you didn't stand next to it.

Turning back, I smiled at the new exit I had made. Carth still kept close behind me which I found odd. There was very little distance between him and I, and I thought he would have at least been a little more distant or reluctant. But I guess I was going to save him and his son. Stepped through the charred remains of the door, I got into the corridor that led to the main hall. My motion monitor suggested that that was where the remaining survivors were, and it was the biggest room as far as I knew. Plus, that's where we had left Dustil.

I aimed my gun at the door console, and got ready to shoot. Unexpectedly Carth pulled the gun back and towards the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Is that going to work? You won't be able to repair it afterwards," he warned.

He let go of the gun, and I shot at the console.

It flew open, cables flying all over the place. Satisfied, I put the gun to my side and got ready. A couple of seconds after, the doors slid open, and we were greeted with an empty hall.

"A deliberate flaw in the Republic systems. If you paid attention, you would know," I said with pride and authority.

Stepping forward confidently, I held the guns close by and stepped through the small pieces of scattered debris.


	9. Lost Cause

**Lost Cause**

The next thing I remember was waking up in a small confined room. The door was covered with a force field and there were no other escape routes. I was leant up against one of the walls of the room, pushed upright. Forcing my eyes open, I took a deep breath. I must have stopped breathing. The lungful of air was amazing, but with it came brilliant pain. Looking down drowsily, my eyes focused on my armour.

Gasping in fear and shock, the small chunk of metal stuck out of my chest by a couple of inches. I put my hands around it, and it pained me a lot to touch. I could tell then that it was quite deep in my chest, at least enough to be serious. It probably was in a lung or just missed it, but it had not got my heart. It would bleed considerably, but as long as I got a life support pack or something of similar sorts, I would be okay.

I turned to see Carth next to me unconscious, but coming around. He had suffered a couple of bruises to his forehead, but not from any blast or something of that sort. I could only assume that the metal had come from a nearby explosion that had knocked me out too, probably a mine or something. Carth's injuries were from being hit across the head with a gun, or brief interrogation.

I put my hand out and kept my mouth open to gasp for breath again. Maybe it had punctured a lung or something similar, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. My hand touched Carth's and grasped one of his fingers. I looked directly at him, and his eyes suddenly became very alert. They looked around frantically first, probably checking there were no more people to hurt him.

"Are you okay? What happened?" I asked hoarsely.

He shook his head to help him regain all alertness and control.

"You must have trodden on a mine. It blew you flying. I ran in to try and drag you out, but before I got to you, someone grabbed me and pulled me onto the table. They took you away straight away. Then they asked me... about you," he explained breathlessly.

I turned my head to look at the force field again and took another deep breath.

"I'm so sorry. For everything. It was my own pride that got in the way," I apologized.

My hands began to shake and I felt so cold. I clamped harder onto Carth's finger, and he pulled it back from me. Taking another much needed breath, my eyes shut tight. It began to hurt, and the initial shock of the injury had disappeared, leaving me with nothing but pain. Carth crawled around in front of me and gasped. Examining the strip of metal carefully, he leant forward and closer to me.

"Oh Kelria, why didn't you say straight away?" he asked, showing sympathy.

I coughed gently, then opened my eyes.

"It's nothing. I think we can get out of this. Just help me –" I started, forcing myself forward ready to get up.

Carth caught me and looked behind my back. Both of us winced, and he looked back at me, gently placing my back down.

"Damn! It's through and through. And through one of your lungs too. You have any medipacks on you?" he asked desperately.

Shaking my head, he readied himself to get up. Forcing himself off of the ground, he got up. At first he was a little shaky as his injury would have given him problems to, but he got himself steady. Slowly, he walked over to the console next to the force field, he turned to me.

"Could shooting it open this door?" he asked.

"Probably, but we have no guns. Check," I swallowed.

Patting himself down, he cursed under his breath, then his desperation became clearer.

"Could anything else do the job, like... a knife or something?" he questioned.

I nodded, and pulled my knees towards me.

"It might do. Doubtful, but I'd try. It's all we have. You got one?" I asked, shutting my eyes with pain again.

"No. I don't have that either," he sighed.

I put my hand out, and coaxed him towards me with my finger. I heard his footsteps as he came closer, and his steady breath on my forehead.

"What?" he whispered.

"I have a knife, tucked into the upper left leg. Should be just before the knee," I breathed.

He gently lifted the knee section of my armour, and put his hand in. It was wedged between the underlining of the armour and the armour itself, carefully concealed.

He soon got hold of it, and slowly pulled it out of the armour. Satisfied, he got up and ran to the console.

"Where?" he questioned.

"Open up... open the console itself. There should be... a small red circuit emitter. It will be around about the bottom right of the system box, underneath a greenish one," I explained.

Waiting for confirmation, I pulled myself up as I began to slip down the wall.

Gasping for air again, I listened as he stabbed at the console. He stepped back and jammed it further into the console system.

"It's not worked. You sure that's it," he asked, fear present in his voice.

I nodded and winced again. The pain rising, I screamed out in agony. Gasping again for breath, Carth ran over to me, and held me close to him.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," he comforted me.

"I know these hunters. If they asked you... about me, then it's not you they want. Otherwise they'd have killed you and Dustil then and there, and left me here. I know how their minds work," I croaked.

His breathing increased, and I then noticed that that would not have been from fear. Not fear at all – sympathy. True regard for another human life. Even one as low as mine.

"When I would talk to Dustil, he would sometimes say things about how he forgave you, and how you did something terrible. Not just hunting, something worse..." Carth started.

Repositioning myself, I got ready to speak.

"Before I was a bounty hunter... a trained bounty hunter, I worked as an informant and life assistor for the Republic. One day, we had a tip off of a Sith ship from another informant, and I was sent to check it out. I had a partner with me, a young boy named Torges. Once we were on the ship, we found out that it was a trap, and they were hoping that someone important would investigate. Locked in one room were about fifty children, all of them screaming. In another, there were about the same amount of couples. We were told that we had to choose one room full of people to survive.

Torges and I fought for a few minutes over who should survive and who shouldn't. We eventually agreed that it would be the couples. There was very little to give a one sided argument. As I reached for the console, Torges pulled me away from the console, and pressed on both of the options. Both rooms were gassed, and I watched in terror. I soon discovered that the couples had been holograms... but the children... oh hell the children! Screaming and crying, they sunk to the floor.

Grabbing a pistol I had been issued, I shot Torges there and then. That's when I started collecting lightsabres. He was soon found to be a Sith spy. So that horrible deed was my trust in others, and letting those children die," I sobbed.

Carth sat by me, and held my hand.

"Why would Dustil blame you?" he asked.

The tears ran down my face, and I gasped for air again.

"He never did. I never knew why it bothered him, but he must have known Torges from the Sith Academy," I cried.

Carth wiped away my tears, and held his head to mine.

"It was never, and I say _never_ your fault. You did the right thing. The only thing you could think of doing. And for that, you showed you are no killing monster. You are important, and you are special," he reassured me.

"I became a bounty hunter to... to kill those that were responsible. I tracked down the parents of all of the children... sent off anonymous donations of money. All of them from... from bounties of the people who did such bad deeds," I swallowed, trying to justify myself.

Carth looked into my eyes, and I opened mine to meet his gaze. Gasping for air again, tremors were sent down my hands.

"I'm sorry about everything I said. And your respect... is well deserved. I am proud of you," he smiled, tears running down his cheeks too.

"My parents both worked... for the Republic. Both of them died. Because none of you were... clever enough to save them," I choked.

Carth recoiled a little, then persisted.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I was told that they were betrayed. Killed for not agreeing with the Captain. Captain Saul Karath. A Republic leader," I remembered.

Carth sat back and pulled himself closer to me.

"Saul is dead. When I was travelling with Illaya, we killed him. He betrayed the Republic. Also, he was responsible for the death of my wife, and the reason Dustil was taken," Carth Explained, his eyes burning into mine.

"He bombarded Telos?" I asked, unsure of what he was telling me.

Carth nodded, and repositioned himself to get comfy on the hard floor.

"Dustil... I guess you could say... was mad at _me_ because I left him, and that I let Saul do such a horrible thing. But I had to get my... justice. I had to," he convinced me.

I lifted myself up a little, and felt the scrap of the metal that seemed to have gone all the way through as it rubbed against the wall. It moved as I did so, causing a lot of pain. Clenching my hands into fists, I screamed into my knees.

Carth got closer to me, and held me upright to stop me being tempted to lean backwards. Choking as I brought in my breath, I tried to make sure I only breathed when I needed to. Any addition breath would cause more damage, surely.

"I'm sorry about Dustil. The fact that he was willing to do what that boy on that ship did... the fact that he once stood for such evil... it hurt to think I'd let myself love him," I croaked.

Carth nodded with a little understanding, and spun around.

The force field opened, and a fully armoured bounty hunter stepped into the room. I could see no skin or face, but I was pretty sure it was a human or a similar race. It strode over to me, and pushed Carth out of the way. Unable to keep myself up on my own very well, I wobbled as I tried to stay upright. Carth tried to crawl back over, but the bounty hunter already had me.

It lifted me off of the ground by the front of my armour, and lifted me to its face. If it was human, it was an extremely tall one. It could have been another race all together, but I didn't really need to know. Tears ran down my face as the hunter lifted the gun up to my chin, and pushed it upward. My neck lolled backward, unable to be supported.

I put my hand into my other armour leg, and smiled a little to myself.

"Go on... shoot me. Do us all a favour, and... shoot me. Right under the chin, through my head! Go on! DO IT!" I yelled, the pain increasing.

"Get ready to die, Kelria," the bounty hunter spat.

I recognised the voice. Durge, an old bounty hunter I had worked with on previous missions. I looked up at the hunter, then smiled. He then realised that I was going to get at him. Instead of pulling the trigger, he hesitated, and it gave me just enough time.

Lifting my knees up to my chest, I pushed them into the chest of the bounty hunter. As I flew backwards, I threw the knife at him, and got him just about dead centre in the chest. He fell back wheezing and unable to breathe. He would be dead very soon if he had no medipacks or life support packs to use. I prepared myself for landing on the cold and hard floor, but I never reached it.

Carth caught me in his arms, very careful not to touch the chunk of metal that had slipped further through my flesh and armour. Gasping for breath again. I looked up at him with thanks, forgiveness and appreciation. Gently, he lifted me onto my feet, and I knew I had to get moving. As did he.

As I reached the floor, my energy became present, and I strode forward to the hunter. Lifting him similarly as he had lifted me, I looked down at him. His whole body was limp, and he did not fight back. Gently, I lifted off the helmet, and was met with Durge's face. His eyes were open, but he was still alive. Inhaling slowly, he looked at me and smiled.

"We thought we'd never get you back. And you were dead," he choked.

"I did what I needed to do. I had a life to live, and it was... not with people like you. You poisoned me... made me sick," I scowled.

He chuckled quietly to himself, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Your friend Dustil... we killed him first chance we got. Didn't take long to go down. He didn't scream either, just begged –" he started.

Angrily, I drove the knife in further with my palm, and he went completely limp.

Dropping him to the floor, the energy began seeping away from me. The anger seethed through me, and I fed off of it. I was no better than those Sith, but from that moment on, I didn't care. If he had really killed Dustil... surely I would have felt it. Felt it inside of me. But no, nothing. And that was what worried me the most. The area in my heart that would so often feel total love just felt like it was off, or wasn't working. Not empty, just nothing.

Carth crumpled to the ground, sobbing hysterically. No, I could not accept Dustil was dead. I knew it couldn't be true. The pain was beginning to numb, and I knew that I was dying. I didn't have long. Swallowing and breathing in quick intervals, I tried to keep myself going. Furiously, I kicked Durge's corpse, forcing the blade further and further in. If he wasn't dead before, he certainly was then.

I too began crying, choking on my tears in the ongoing fight for breath. Carth got up, and pulled me away from the body. I still tried to kick the blade further in, but my foot no longer reached.

I realised that I was becoming weaker and I was cold. My hands were like ice, brushing against one another. I nearly fell back as I felt so weak, but I managed to keep myself upright. Walking forward and leaning down, I picked up a medipack form his corpse. Looking at Carth for reassurance, he put his hand out to stop me. He held the pack and looked directly into my eyes.

"If you do it, you know you won't survive. A life support pack won't be nearly enough," he warned through his tears.

"I need the time... to get you out of here. Once that's done, then... I can go. If I don't I'll... I'll die in the next few minutes. I can feel myself slipping away now, losing consciousness slowly," I explained.

"It doesn't need to end like this. I'll save you," he insisted.

"When I was travelling with Dustil, I was always looking for the one place where I felt like I belonged... and needed to be at. In that year, I realised the place I needed to be was with Dustil... no one else," I wept.

Carth held my face right up to his to try and keep my attention on him. My eyes flew all around the room, my focus dwindling. The time was coming.

"I _will_ save you!" he claimed.

The tears ran down my face quicker, and I gasped against for breath.

"You can't... save everyone. Some were just... meant to go. I'm not ready quite yet... not quite..." I swallowed.

Pushing myself away from him, I got the medipack and then was ready to inject myself. Just before I did so, I got my right hand, and clamped it around the metal chunk that was in my chest, and shut my eyes. Gaining enough strength, I pulled on it as hard as I could, and it slid out of my chest.

Screaming in agony, I threw the metal down. It looked like it had come off one of the chairs in the hall, a splinter of one. As soon as I could, I injected the medipack, and I felt it begin to heal up. Opening my eyes, I realised I was not in nearly as much pain, and the wound had healed. Unfortunately, it still meant I was bleeding internally. I then assumed that I had about ten minutes to get Carth out of the place and kill the last of the hunters.

If Dustil had not been one of the people left alive, then I had two bounty hunters left to deal with. Carth kept close to me, checking to see if I would pass out or something along those lines. Shaking my head to become more alert, I swallowed for air, and gulped it down hungrily. I could breathe properly, but it still hurt to do so. Compared the previous pain however, I thought that I could cope.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded, but that wasn't true. I had lost the man I loved, and I was going to die too soon. There was no part of me that was _alright_ as he had so easily put it.

Stepping out of the room, I looked to the side of the doorway. All my stuff, including Carth's gun and my jetpack, had been left there, ready for us to collect. How thoughtful. Smiling to myself, I picked up my guns and slotted them into my belt. Then, as Carth picked up his gun, I lifted up my jetpack and slogged it onto my back.

The tears still ran down my face, but I could no longer feel the pain of losing Dustil. It was completely overshadowed with hate for the bounty hunters, and revenge. Hell, that was all I needed.

I turned to look at Carth, and he too was still crying.

"Dustil loved you. He forgave you," I swallowed.

Carth nodded, and tried to smile as he remembered the good things about his son.

"He... he asked me if he should propose. I said I should meet you first, but he was going to do it next week. He was going to take you to your favourite place in the galaxy, he said. And he was going to ask you... to marry him. Even if I didn't like you," he choked.

The barrage that came next threw me completely off task and out of focus. I stood still in shock and the tears just streamed down my face, curving around my checks then collapsing under my chin. They soon fell to the floor, creating small puddles in front of me. The ones that followed maintained the pattern of descent, keeping to the path provided by the previous.

"He did?" I asked.

Carth nodded and kept his eyes to the floor. "I... I never knew... he never even –" I started.

Dustil had wanted to propose? I had been oblivious to the concept completely... it had never occurred to me. He'd been a little more restrained with me, but nothing other than that. Or... so I had thought. It must have killed him inside when he missed opportunities to ask me. Whenever we were together, he always seemed agitated. And so he had reason. And now... he was gone. He was dead.

Through the tears, I lifted my head and my guns. Striding forward, I got myself ready to take on the world with the bounty hunters. And I would bring it crashing down around them.


	10. Final Stand

**Final Stand**

Wiping the tears from my face, I ran through the unoccupied corridors of the house, and luckily the lockdown had been deactivated. Checking my motion monitor once more, I deduced that the remaining bounty hunters were in the main hall. It had been the third time that night I had travelled there, so I pretty much knew the way. They all looked very different, so I could easily determine which corridors I needed and in some cases, did not need to go down.

The door to the hall was already open, and I peeked through. Yes, there were two bounty hunters in the room, both of them masked. Due to their height and the way they seemed to be communicating with use of gestures, they were most likely human. I could also tell from the armour type and figure that one of them was male, and one female.

Smiling with recognition, I turned to Carth.

"Can you do me a favour? No... wait, can you trust me?" I asked.

He frowned at the sudden lift in my mood, but nodded reluctantly.

"What do you need me to do?" he questioned.

"I need you to let me tranquilise you," I replied.

He recoiled with disbelief, and frowned more intensely.

"What?" he exclaimed.

Shushing him, he shut his mouth, and nodded unenthusiastically.

"You sure?" I asked.

He nodded again, and I put the plan together in my head.

Pulling at a small section in my jetpack, I had a small vial.

"Sorry, this stuff tastes horrible," I warned.

I handed him the vial, and he half-heartedly took it out of my hand. Slipping off the top, he lifted his head and downed the whole lot.

He nearly fell to the floor straight away, so I caught him before he alerted the hunters of our presence. I looked down at him, his eyes tightly shut. He looked at peace in his state. He would only be able to wake when he wanted to. It was a really good tranquiliser for use of say... me or someone who needed to be snuck into somewhere. You would appear to be fully out of it with all of the features, but you could wake up whenever you wanted to. He would know when he needed to get up.

I grabbed him by the leg, and began pulling him through the door with just one hand. I kept my style up, and reverted to all of my old habits. Crossing my legs over one another as I walked was probably the most prominent of the habits that I had either taught myself or incorporated accidently. Holding my gun in my free hand by my head and pointing it upwards was another, easily getting myself ready for a fight... and still looking awesome.

The bounty hunter I had recognised from the armour, the woman, noticed me first, and aimed her gun.

"Wow, nice show gorgeous," I winked.

She pulled back her weapon, and slotted it into her belt. She then pulled off her helmet, and the zabrak woman I knew looked directly at me. Kirsten began walking over, mimicking my walk.

"Well, looks like you pulled it off... _and_ you made the bounty split better. To think I'd thought you'd left," she smiled.

Dropping Carth's leg, I ran towards her, and she to me. As we met, she wrapped her arms around my head and pulled me into her. Our lips moved fluidly together, gently and smoothly running along each other.

She pulled back, and looked directly into my eyes.

"You miss me?" she asked intensely.

I kissed her quickly, teasing her, then pulled back again.

"Of course. But I got a free ride. You won't believe how sloppy some other bounty hunters are," I giggled.

She nodded with understanding, and sucked her cheeks inward.

"Yeah, the lot we had here were no good either. I bet you took them down... easy," she said seductively.

I put my arms around her, and rested my elbows on her shoulders.

"So how much we got?" I questioned, my greed clearly visible.

"I dunno... Chucker, how much we got?" she asked, turning to the masked bounty hunter.

The bounty hunter shook his head, probably gorming out somewhere else.

The bounty hunter was not one I recognised, but then again, I hadn't really cared for many of them. He looked pretty fit under the armour, maybe a future investment.

"That's about 7 million credits each," he said gruffly.

I pulled Kirsten closer, and kept my eyes on the other bounty hunter, nicknamed Chucker.

"Does it bother you... us?" I asked seductively, pushing my face against hers.

Chucker looked uncomfortable in the situation, his fingers twitching. Bless him, we'd found another hunter that didn't like same sex couples. Shame really. I lifted up my gun to him, and shut one eye. Aiming it at his head, he stood totally still. My finger tightened around the trigger and he remained unmoving.

I stuck out my tongue, checking my aim.

"Boom," I said, lifting the gun up into the air as if I had shot him. "That's all it would take to get more money. At least you didn't move... otherwise I really _would_ have shot you," I snickered.

Kirsten's attention turned to him for a second then back to me.

"You think we should?" she whispered, undecipherable for Chucker himself.

I nodded, and smiled. Just as she whipped out her weapon, my arms tightened around her head. Grabbing it, I twisted it in a quick and swift motion. Using the created momentum to spin, I slid under her as she fell and aimed both of my guns at Chucker. He stood completely still as he had before, and twitched again.

"Give me a reason not to shoot you, son," I said with clear authority.

He slowly lifted his hands to his helmet, and pulled it above him.

As he lifted it, I felt like I was going to collapse. Dustil's face met mine, his calming eyes looking into me. I spun around in amazement and poked Carth. Quickly, he his eyes flew open, opening one, then the other when he realised everything was finished. He lifted his head, and looked over my shoulder. Pushing up off of the floor, he got up, and ran over to Dustil. Embracing him in a hug, I saw a side of Carth I hadn't had chance to see. But hell, I was glad I saw it.

Dustil looked over at me with something I hadn't seen before in him either. It was disappointment, and to a degree, hate. He looked so pained, so hurt. I wanted to hug him too there and then, but I realised something. Checking the time on my monitor systems, I realised that my ten minutes were very nearly up.

The pain had already increased dramatically, but it had been hidden by my emotions. When I was capable of feeling the real pain, I realised how little time was left. Running over to Dustil, he gently dropped his father from the hug, and looked expectantly at me.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

He still seemed to be displeased with me, but I could not understand why. I didn't want to know why.

Unwilling to watch as his brief disappointment rose through, I turned, and walked towards the door. Each step became a new struggle, and I felt my chest burn so painfully that I would soon need to gasp for breath again. I couldn't tell him that I was going to die, and he wouldn't have needed to know.

The last few seconds of my life weren't very exciting. I took five steps forward, then was no longer able to travel forward. Something rose in my throat, and I spluttered. Spitting out blood, I dropped to my knees and my head hit the floor.


	11. In The End

**In The End**

My eyes opened, and the bright light shone in. I struggled to adjust, bolting upright to try and keep away from the light source. Something touched my shoulder, and pushed me back down. I shut my eyes to stop the light entering my eyes, it seeping through my eyelids creating a red screen. I felt no pain, but I didn't feel like I was dead. No, I had to be still alive.

"Dustil?" I asked, keeping my eyes shut.

The red screen went blank, and I opened my eyes. The light had been reduced, and my eyes easily adjusted. The familiar layout of the White Siren greeted me. Dustil leant over me, and got in closer. Recoiling from him, I tried to keep a good distance. He too withdrew, and frowned.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned.

I sighed, and relaxed. Guess whatever he had been displeased about had been forgotten.

"Nothing. Sorry," I maintained.

I relaxed into the bed again, and Dustil got closer again. Putting his arms around me the best he could, he held me tightly. I hugged him back, and I felt tears nearly falling down my face.

"I thought I'd lost you," I choked.

"I thought I'd lost you, too," he replied, keeping his grip around me.

I let go of him once I was ready, and he did the same.

"So how am I still here?" I persisted.

"Jedi healing honey. You should know about that kind of stuff now," he smiled.

"Even that late on?" I questioned.

He nodded, and turned around.

Carth stepped through into the room, waving to me. I laid back on my elbows to support me, and smiled back to him. Well, I guessed I had won. I had killed all of the bounty hunters, no-one from my protection group had died, and I was still alive too. What were the chances?

"You feeling better now?" Carth inquired.

I nodded, and looked up at Dustil. He gave me the same loving look at he did when we were sat at the table. I returned with the same expression, and Carth began to slowly trace his way back out of the room. Pushing myself slowly up, I let my legs hang off the end of the bed, and stretched my neck by lifting it.

"So... you ready to get going?" Dustil asked.

"Sure, but promise me something first," I smiled.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Promise me you'll keep me... forever," I whispered.

He looked at me sympathetically, and smiled.

"This trip really got to you, didn't it?" he asked.

I nodded, and stuck out my bottom lip.

"So yes or no?" I persisted.

"Yes," he smiled, pulling me to him. "Now let's get to it!"


End file.
